NB - I actually started this article a year ago in the run up to Wrestlemania 32 but didn't finish it in time so I've kind of kept it in storage until now. Luckily the intervening year hasn't changed my opinion too much...
THE BOTTOM TIER
Vince, What Were You Thinking?
32. WRESTLEMANIA 9 (1993)
Do I really have to go into details here? Basically, this was the year that was supposed to see the post-Hogan generation of wrestlers finally break out and come into their own...only for Hulk to return a month prior and squash everyone back down the card. But it's not just the fact that the main event here (Bret Hart loses the title to a very green Yokozuna who then gets squashed by Hogan in 20 seconds flat) left a very bad taste, it's the fact that 75% of the matches on this card flat-out sucked. If I have to pick a highlight, I'd go for the Steiner Brothers vs the Headshrinkers. Maybe at a stretch Shawn Michaels vs Tatanka (although at 18 minutes it's way too long for its own good) or Lex Luger vs Mr Perfect (despite a screwy ending) but one half-decent and two just about watchable matches is pretty damn poor for the big event of the year.
31. WRESTLEMANIA 32 (2016)
Just an absolute mess from start to finish, WM32 really did sum up everything that was wrong with WWE's booking in 2015-16. The main event of Roman Reigns vs Triple H was a real endurance test with the crowd simply not caring who won, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar proved that PG street fights really don't work and even the better matches such as AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho and the Divas triple threat were spoiled by the wrong wrestler going over (if you believe the rumours, to ensure Reigns would get a pop when he won the title at the end. Which, erm, very much didn't happen). And at a mind-melting six hours, it makes Japanese water torture seem like a fun option by comparison.
30. WRESTLEMANIA 11 (1995)
WWF were in the doldrums financially and creatively at this point and boy did WM11 bear that out. The title match between Shawn Michaels and Diesel is probably the pick of the bunch here but it wasn't even the main event! That "honour" went to a match between Bam Bam Bigelow and NFL star Lawrence Taylor which well and truly sucked the meat missile. Beyond that, the IC title match between Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett is at least watchable (although the screwy DQ ending takes quite a bit away from it) and it's nice to see Owen Hart win his first gold in the WWF but the rest of the card was by and large terrible.
29. WRESTLEMANIA 15 (1999)
Ironic that during what's largely considered to be the Attitude Era's hot streak, WWF put out one of their worst Wrestlemanias. Vince Russo, who then had the book, had experimented with the fast lane style of booking at the previous year's Survivor Series and done it pretty well but WM15 proved it's difficult to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Inexplicable storyline arcs, rapid fire heel and face turns, matches with no backstory...by the end of it you were staring at the screen like a burnt out zombie. The saving grace was an entertaining brawl between the Rock and Steve Austin in the main event - without that, this would have had a very good chance of unseating WM9 as the worst ever.
28. WRESTLEMANIA 2 (1986)
Put this one down to a case of growing pains. After the success of the initial Wrestlemania, Vince McMahon decided that they should go all out for WM2 and book it across three cities. Unfortunately the quality of the matches was pretty poor. On the plus side, there's an entertaining tag title match between the Dream Team and the British Bulldogs, a fun brawl with the Funk Brothers taking on Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana, Ricky Steamboat carrying Hercules to a decent match and even the main event between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy isn't that bad. On the flip side, the rest of the card contains a dull as hell boxing match between Roddy Piper and Mr T, five sub-three minute squash matches (including a contender for the worst WM match ever in Adrian Adonis vs Uncle Elmer), a dull double count out between Paul Orndorff and Don Muraco and proof that even Randy Savage can only work so many miracles when he's up against a slug like George Steele. Luckily Vince would learn from his mistakes the following year...
27. WRESTLEMANIA 29 (2013)
Wrestlemania 27 is usually the one that gets referred to first when it comes to recent disappointments but I would argue that 29 is actually worse. There was nothing truly awful but none of the big matches (Cena vs Rock, Triple H vs Brock Lesnar, Undertaker vs CM Punk) delivered the way they could have while the rest of the card was just forgettable. And somehow having a really dull Wrestlemania is arguably even worse than one that's a total train wreck - as least those can be perversely entertaining sometimes...
26. WRESTLEMANIA 13 (1997)
Probably the first WM on our list to contain one of the all time classic Mania matches in Bret Hart vs Steve Austin which was a fantastic brutal hate-filled brawl with an unexpected double turn at the end just to cap it off. Unfortunately, that's literally all it's got going for it. Of the other six matches on the card there's really only one that's even average which is the Chicago Street Fight between the Legion of Doom and the Nation of Domination and the main event between Psycho Sid and the Undertaker must be up there in the worst Mania headline matches of all time. You have to feel sorry for the Hit Man and Stone Cold really...
25. WRESTLEMANIA 4 (1988)
"Can we just concentrate on the match here Gorilla? It's too late and I'm getting too tired to argue with you now." That quote from Jesse Ventura late on in the event tells you everything you need to know about WM4. It was a brave idea (a 14 man title tournament to determine a new champion after the whole Hulk/Andre shenanigans) that didn't quite work just because of how long the whole thing was. If you're willing to persevere with it though there's a few decent matches in here - Randy Savage vs Ted DiBiase in the main event is well worth a watch while Ricky Steamboat vs Greg Valentine deserved better than to be buried as a semi-forgotten first round match. There's an entertaining tag title bout between Strike Force and Demolition as well and the battle royale that kicks the whole thing off is fun enough also. But at four hours...let's just say you're gonna need a whole vat of black coffee and plenty of matchsticks to prop your eyelids open to get through this in one go.
LOWER MID-CARD
Generally a couple of good matches here and there but approach with caution
24. WRESTLEMANIA 27 (2011)
Much maligned at the time due to the fact that a 15 minute borefest between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler (which didn't even end that tiresome feud!) bumped Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus off the card, a poor main event between John Cena and the Miz and the presence of the Rock yukking it up between matches which quickly became tiresome. Yet get past those (admittedly major) disappointments and there were actually a few decent matches on here such as Edge vs Alberto del Rio, Cody Rhodes vs Rey Mysterio (probably Rey's last great WM moment), Randy Orton vs CM Punk and Triple H vs the Undertaker. The trouble is that, rather like WM25 a couple of years earlier, it's the bad stuff that everyone remembers and in this case it was really bad. Proof that two or three poor booking decisions can turn what would otherwise have been a half decent 'Mania into a bit of a train wreck unfortunately.
23. WRESTLEMANIA 12 (1996)
Similar to the previous year, this took place when WWF were struggling both financially and creatively and unfortunately it showed a bit. Putting Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in the main event was a great idea. Making it a 60 minute Iron Man match with no falls until the final minute really wasn't - some people like it but I just find it dull unfortunately. That aside though, there's nothing particularly wrong with WM 12 (apart from the comically bad Backlot Brawl between Goldust and Roddy Piper) and all the matches are passable enough (Undertaker vs Diesel being my pick of the bunch with Steve Austin vs Savio Vega and the six man opening tag match also being worth a look), it's just that this really did need 30 minutes clipping off the main event and a couple more matches putting in.
22. WRESTLEMANIA 25 (2009)
If there was an award for worst organised Wrestlemania then this one would be right up there. It starts off great with a MITB match which officially marked the emergence of CM Punk as a major player. Then we get...um, a half hour Kid Rock concert. Followed by a Divas battle royale which was won by Santino Marella in drag and a legends match featuring a way past it Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper. There's a brief resurgence in the middle with a great match between the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and a vicious brawl between the Hardy brothers, even the three-way between John Cena, Big Show and Edge is surprisingly watchable but the main event between Triple H and Randy Orton was another let down and drags this one below the average line.
21. WRESTLEMANIA 21 (2005)
I think this one suffered just because the previous four Wrestlemanias had been so good. It comes out of the traps blazing with a great MITB match and Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero but the pace drops off massively thereafter, only really coming alive again for a great technical match between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle with both main events (Cena vs Bradshaw and Batista vs Triple H) being big disappointments just because of how green Cena and Batista both were at the time. And don't even get me started on that Big Show sumo match...
20. WRESTLEMANIA 1 (1985)
This gets a semi-free pass because it was the first time WWF had ever done something like this. In terms of the quality of matches it's not great but the nostalgia factor carries it through. The main event tag match is good fun and Andre slamming Studd is a good moment while the other three title matches (Wendi Richter vs Leilani Kai, US Express vs Sheik & Volkoff and JYD vs Valentine) are at least watchable. Don't get me wrong, compared to modern day stuff it looks ridiculously dated but if it doesn't at least give you the warm fuzzy glow of nostalgia then there's something wrong with you.
19. WRESTLEMANIA 28 (2012)
This one got off to a very bad start with an 18 second match between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan which nearly broke the Internet the next day because fans were so angry about it followed by three more forgettable matches. However, it picks up in the middle with a great match between Undertaker and Triple H and stays in fourth gear from there until the end with the CM Punk vs Chris Jericho and Rock vs Cena matches rounding things off in style. One that you have to persevere with but there's a few decent bits. Start watching it halfway through for best results though.
18. WRESTLEMANIA 6 (1990)
The second of the three "express line" Wrestlemanias from the turn of the decade. Despite a packed crowd in Toronto, it's unfortunately the weakest of the three. The main event between Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior is a deserved classic and the tag team title match is worth watching just to see Andre's final Wrestlemania match but beyond that this one's pretty poor to be honest with matches that either didn't deliver the way they should've done (Jake Roberts vs Ted DiBiase), were cursed with terrible gimmicks (Randy Savage and Dusty Rhodes being chucked into a poor mixed tag match when a singles match between the two would've served far better) or just plain forgettable (the rest of it). It just about gets a pass for the main event and the hyped crowd who keep the atmosphere going but this was a real missed opportunity when all's said and done.
17. WRESTLEMANIA 16 (2000)
Pretty much a two match card but the TLC match and the triple threat between Angle, Jericho and Benoit pretty much saved this from going the same way as WM15 the year before. The main event's decent enough but having a heel (Triple H in this case) go over on the final match of the night at Mania with Vince's help just feels wrong, especially given how bored to tears everyone was by the McMahon family feud at this point while the rest of the card was definitely a bit substandard. Ah well, them's the breaks.
UPPER MID CARD
Not quite classics but still a good way to spend 3-4 hours
16. WRESTLEMANIA 24 (2008)
Rather like WM23 the year before, this was a mix of good and bad. On the plus side, Michaels vs Flair was a great match and a fitting send-off for Naitch, Taker vs Edge more than delivered in the main event slot and the MITB match at the start is an awesome opener. On the downside, Kane squashing Chavo Guerrero in ten seconds was just a waste of a match, ditto Floyd Mayweather vs Big Show (the noughties' answer to Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow?) and Batista vs Umaga wasn't much better. Pretty much the midway marker for Wrestlemanias so far.
15. WRESTLEMANIA 23 (2007)
This seemed better at the time to be honest. On the plus side, Shawn Michaels finally carried John Cena to a good Wrestlemania match in the main event, Chris Benoit vs MVP and Money In The Bank were both good efforts and even Undertaker vs Batista exceeded expectations. On the downside, Khali vs Kane and Lashley vs Umaga were both poor matches and drag this one back down to just above average. Could've been worse though.
14. WRESTLEMANIA 7 (1991)
The last of the trio of express line Wrestlemanias from the turn of the decade. This one felt like it had more on the line than 6 and in Warrior vs Savage it has an all-time classic. Hogan vs Slaughter in the main event wasn't bad either while the tag title matches between the Hart Foundation and the Nasty Boys and the IC match between the Big Boss Man and Mr Perfect at least kept interest up while the undercard had a hidden gem between the Rockers and the Faces of Fear as an opener plus the start of Taker's streak. True, there's still quite a bit of filler on there but at least this is well on the right side of watchable.
13. WRESTLEMANIA 5 (1989)
Confession time - I'm biased here as this was the first Wrestlemania I saw. It seems to get a lot of bad press mainly due to being one of the express line Manias but the main event of Hogan vs Savage is maybe the best main event Mania match that the Hulkster was ever in. Further down the card, there's entertaining matches like the Brain Busters vs Strike Force, Blue Blazer vs Mr Perfect and the Rockers vs the Twin Towers. Okay, there's some misfires on there as well but overall I think this one just shades it as the best of the three "cram everyone on the card" Manias.
12. WRESTLEMANIA 26 (2010)
After three average Manias, this one at least delivered with a good five quality matches capped off by a superb Taker vs Shawn main event. Add to that good bouts between Jericho and Edge, the triple threat match between Legacy, Rey vs CM Punk and Money In The Bank and that's a pretty solid card. Sure, Cena vs Batista was a bit underwhelming, the Divas and tag title matches weren't great and the Bret vs Vince match probably shouldn't have happened but this one at least has way more good than bad on it.
11. WRESTLEMANIA 31 (2015)
Take care of the basics and the rest'll take care of themselves. Okay so it's not exactly "What the World is Watching" but in terms of a tagline for Wrestlemania 31 it works perfectly. This was a good solid show with the only clunker really being the head-scratching Triple H vs Sting match. Even if there was no real "holy shit" moment, there's plenty to get your teeth into here including the IC ladder match, Cena vs Rusev, Taker vs Bray and Orton vs Rollins all being worth a watch. When even the Rock's talking segment works well, you know that the stars have aligned nicely.
10. WRESTLEMANIA 18 (2002)
Much like WM31, simply a good solid Wrestlemania card where pretty much all of the matches delivered to some degree and the big arena atmosphere definitely helped it feel like a "proper" Mania. Rock vs Hogan really is a "once in a generation" type match just for the atmosphere while the ultra-intense Taker vs Flair match is well worth a watch too. The main event of Triple H vs Jericho isn't bad either, it's just overshadowed a tiny bit by what's gone before.
9. WRESTLEMANIA 8 (1992)
If only the second half of this thing was as good as the first, this would be in the Top 5 easily. As it is, pretty much all of the first five matches (with the exception of the throwaway eight-man brawl which serves its purpose as filler) are all worth a watch with Savage vs Flair for the title being the highlight closely followed by Hart vs Piper for the IC belt. The main event with Hogan vs Sid was lacklustre but for the first half alone, this definitely deserves to be in the upper echelons of Wrestlemanias.
THE CLASSICS
If you're gonna start anywhere, start with one of these...
8. WRESTLEMANIA 19 (2003)
Ironically, WWE was suffering a bit of an identity crisis at this time following the end of the Attitude Era but not that you'd know it from watching this show. Apart from a below-par handicap match with Taker (and the questionable booking around the otherwise decent HHH vs Booker match), pretty much everything on here works to some degree right from the fast-paced cruiserweight opening match between Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. The three-way for the tag titles featured some of the best technicians in the company at the time, Hogan vs McMahon was an excellent hate-filled streetfight, Jericho vs Michaels was everything you hoped it would be, Austin vs Rock was a real "end of an era" moment and Angle and Lesnar put on a worthy main event to close the show out. Good stuff.
7. WRESTLEMANIA 30 (2014)
A solid show elevated up the list by the main event which saw WWE finally acknowledge the reaction Daniel Bryan had been getting from the fans and put him over to win the title in a real feelgood moment (similar to Guerrero and Benoit ten years earlier). Aside from that, Cena and Bray Wyatt had a much better match than they really had any right to, Lesnar vs Taker was a real "holy shit" moment due to the end of the Streak (the rights and wrongs of which have been debated endlessly elsewhere) and even if the Divas match and battle royale felt a bit like filler, this was a Mania that left you with a good feeling overall.
6. WRESTLEMANIA 22 (2006)
Another Mania which delivered despite coming at a time when WWE had gone a bit stale creatively. Rey winning the title in a great match against Orton and Triple H plus a vicious streetfight between Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon were the highlights but add in a great MITB match, a hate-filled brawl between Mick Foley and Edge, the Divas title match between Mickie James and Trish Stratus and a better than expected match between Triple H and John Cena and that's six good reasons to watch the show right there. Even the two below-par matches (Candice Michelle vs Torrie Wilson and the Boogeyman vs Booker T) are at least kept nice and short so as not to spoil things too much.
5. WRESTLEMANIA 14 (1998)
True, there have been better technical Wrestlemanias but WM14 pretty much symbolised everything that made the Attitude Era so watchable. The main event with Austin pinning Shawn for his first title run is a real "passing of the torch" moment while Taker vs Kane and the New Age Outlaws vs Cactus Jack and Terry Funk are both entertaining wild brawls. Essentially, this one is a riot from start to finish and that's what makes it so enjoyable. As with WM3, it's very much of its time but for the sheer atmosphere and excitement, this one is hard to beat.
4. WRESTLEMANIA 20 (2004)
Like WM30 a decade later, this is remembered for the feelgood moment at the end when Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, written off as "vanilla midgets" in their WCW days, both won their World and WWE Title matches and celebrated in the ring at the end. Subsequent events make it more of a sad thing to watch nowadays but it was a great moment at the time. There was plenty more to recommend about this Mania too including Evolution taking on the Rock 'n' Sock Connection in a high-octane brawl, Taker and Kane lifting the roof off the place (even though the match was solid rather than spectacular) and even the Goldberg-Lesnar non-match being enlivened by Stone Cold sending them off with a couple of Stunners much to the crowd's appreciation. Good stuff.
3. WRESTLEMANIA 10 (1994)
It's funny how sometimes the best Wrestlemanias come at a time when WWF/E as a whole isn't in good shape. In early '94, the company was basically a ship without a rudder with several big names having departed and the PPV's the previous year being somewhat underwhelming to put it kindly. Yet somehow they pulled a real rabbit out of the hat with WM10 capped off with Bret Hart winning back the title he should never have lost the year before and Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon both cementing their legacies as main event players with an awesome ladder match. Further down the card, Bret and Owen Hart had a technical masterclass in the opener and Randy Savage (in his last WWF PPV match) and Crush's wild "Falls Count Anywhere" brawl is good fun too.
2. WRESTLEMANIA 3 (1987)
Pretty much the gold standard by which all Wrestlemanias are judged, WM3 was the first real classic Mania and still holds up well today. The crowd was off the hook for the main event of Hogan vs Andre, matched only by a technical classic between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat. But every match on the card had a big main event feel about it with a solid build-up and good storytelling and that's what makes this the best of the early Wrestlemanias by a long chalk.
1. WRESTLEMANIA 17 (2001)
Take the fast-paced action of WM14, add in a good dose of quality technical wrestling (the only thing WM14 fell down on slightly), a packed out enormodome atmosphere and you've got the best Wrestlemania to date. The main event between Austin and Rock (despite a slightly screwy ending) is an all-out classic but the TLC match between the Hardys, Dudleys and Edge & Christian runs it close as do the matches between Triple H and the Undertaker and Angle and Benoit. In fact, the whole card is solid and every match keeps your interest. Let's just say that it'll take something very special from WWE to move this from the top of the tree in the future.
