Your Top 5 Favorite Wrestlemania Matches

[Goldash]

With Wrestlemania XXIX and RBN Community Countdown airing this weekend, let's combine both concepts: What are your Top 5 favorite Wrestlemania matches?

Here are mine:

5. Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock - Wrestlemania X8
A prototypical "sports entertainment" styled match with one of the best crowds in wrestling history. The entire Skydome was electric from start to finish and the reaction after Rock's kickout to the pinfall after the Hogan leg drop is something I'm always in awe of. Nothing memorable in terms of technicality, but in terms of the hot crowd, you're never going to get anything hotter.

4. Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart - Wrestlemania 13
Two of the greatest storytellers of the 90's did enough to pull an effective double-turn that included a career-making performance by Austin. The image of Stone Cold's bloodied face will forever be ingrained in wrestling lore. Moreover, it was a shocking performance from the clean-cut Bret Hart, who stopped at nothing to dominate Austin for the majority of the contest, only to win cheaply with Austin passing out. One of the best finishes in the history of Wrestlemania and in sports entertainment, and (along with Tommy Dreamer's "caning" at the hands of Sandman in ECW) one of the most effective ways I've seen to transform a wrestler from "heel with fan support" to someone who could get over most effectively as a babyface.

3. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 25
It singlehandedly turned one of my least favorite Wrestlemanias into something out of the ordinary. Two of the greatest WWE talents proved there was plenty of gas left in their respective tanks and gave us arguably their best match together. Next year's match would be the main event and cost Shawn his career, but Taker/Michaels I redeemed a mediocre card and was dramatic from start to finish. It's because of matches like this that I continue to follow professional wrestling in the manner I do...never before have near falls been so convincing (and I mean that in an extremely positive way!)

2. Rock/Austin II - Wrestlemania X7
I prefer this match to any of their other clashes, as each man went all out in a classic brawl, swearing up a storm and attacking with reckless abandon, with Austin unexpectedly turning heel in the Wrestlemania main event --- in Texas, no less! This is arguably one of the most intense Wrestlemania main events, and for good reason - chairshots, blood, profanity, McMahon, and one of Jim Ross's best play-by-play performances in arguably the greatest Wrestlemania of them all. It's a controversial choice, but I'll never forget it.

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - Wrestlemania 21
I remember watching this at the time and being absolutely blown away. It was a clinic from beginning to end, complete with everything from great technical wrestling to unbelievably risky spots and suspenseful submissions. Probably my favorite wrestling match of all time. It was positively unreal seeing it live, and it never really gets old.

[afrobandito]

I had this typed out with descriptions when the window randomly closed. Too lazy to go back.

In no particular order.

WM XIX: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

WM XX: Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle

WM X-Seven: Rock vs. Stone Cold II

WM XIV: Undertaker vs. Kane

WM 25: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels.

[Joshua Bishop]

Wrestlemania 21: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
An absolute spectacle this match was. Angle and Michaels have both seen better days by this point and aren't in the shape they were in in their primes, but you'd be a fool to think that these two still couldn't have a hell of a match. This was the absolute best match of the night and the near-falls and sequences in this match were absolutely INSANE. I didn't really pay attention to it when I was younger, but after actually watching it once (live on a stream too), it was...Jesus christ, it was awesome. I love this match.

Wrestlemania 25: Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker
The absolute one time I legitimately thought Taker's streak was done. Don't be surprised if HBK lands on this list a lot - after all, he is Mr. Wrestlemania! - but man, I remember watching this match when it first aired. Having Jim Ross on commentary helped this match stand out far and beyond its competitors. They had a tremendous match and it was absolutely amazing to see all the crazy sequences and spots. The way the crowd went absolutely bonkers when Michaels kicked out of the Tombstone and the way Taker sold that disbelief was unforgettable and breathtaking. It's moments like that where you feel like the story of the match transcends the action, and you are fully invested all the way until the end.

Wrestlemania 13: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart - Submission Match
Goldash, you said it perfect, my man. This was the one double turn I remember being executed well and being done correctly. The match itself not only stands out for just the brutality and sheer chaos, it stands out as the one match that legitimized Stone Cold Steve Austin as the toughest S.O.B. in ALL of sports entertainment. This match especially earns high accolade from me for the finish - that's honestly one of the BEST finishes I remember in ALL of the matches I've ever seen. It was absolutely incredible and flawless to have Stone Cold refuse to tap and have Bret win by technical knockout, because Austin made it clear that Bret would have to damn near kill him to get him to submit. Surprisingly, the addition of Ken Shamrock as the special referee made this match pop off even better - he played his part well. I still remember him slamming Bret to the mat when Bret refused to release the Sharpshooter and wanted to make Austin pay for all the pain and suffering he'd put him through.

Wrestlemania 14: Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels
This one stands out to me the most because it was the first match of ANY wrestling I saw and remembered vividly. I remember Mike Tyson knocking Shawn's lights out and I remember Jim Ross saying the legendary line, "The Austin Era has begun!" The match itself was really good, as it was two great storytellers working with each other. You could only imagine that Austin and Michaels could have had a better outing if both of them weren't injured and at 100% for this match, but for what it was worth, WOW this was great. I loved this match as a kid, and I still cherish it to this day.

Wrestlemania 12: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart - Iron Man Match
The pacing of this match was incredible. 60 minutes of great action, near falls, and dramatic storytelling. These two men gave it their all and it probably stands out as one of THE greatest matches in history. The boyhood dream came true that night, and it was truly a historic moment for the young Heartbreak Kid. Hart and Michaels were two of the best the WWE ever had, and they went out and had an absolute classic for the WWE Championship. Those two men pulled off a tremendous bout that was deadlocked for 60 minutes and was just absolutely beyond this world. Epic main event.

[swfhbdls24]

Hmm... sadly, I didn't actually start watching WrestleMania (my family didn't have the necessary equipment or money for pay per view) until XX, so though I've gone back and watched a few of the bigger matches, my top 5 are mainly gonna be from that era.

1) Shawn Michaels v Bret Hart Iron Man Match (XII)

I know this flies directly in the face of what I just said, but as a self respecting wrestling fan I DID go find this on DVD as soon as I could. I loved both guys when I was growing up, and watching them go a full hour without any pinfalls was amazing to me.

2) Shawn Michaels v Undertaker (XXV)

This is one of those matches that I point to when people ask why I buy wrestling DVD's. It was a great match with a lot of drama in the buildup, and then quite a fair amount in the match itself, and it was easily one of the best matches I've ever seen, WrestleMania or otherwise. In fact, my wife and I both felt kind of sorry for Triple H and Randy Orton, who had to follow that up. Thank goodness the next year they didn't put anything after Michaels-Taker II.

3) Undertaker v Triple H (XVII)

Another one that I went back and watched after the fact. No idea why this one really sticks out at me. I've always liked Triple H, but never been too big of an Undertaker fan (ESPECIALLY biker Taker), but for some reason, this match just spoke to me. Maybe I subconsciously enjoyed it because they fought into the production area, and I could get a look at some of the equipment the WWE used too. :-)

2) Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels (XXI)

This is one I remember talking to all of my friends about the day after. Once again, lifelong fan of Shawn Michaels (just look at my user name), and I always loved how Kurt Angle could make you forget that what you were watching was staged. He just had an intensity to him that MADE you believe what he was doing was real, and with Shawn's excellent selling ability, it just ramped it up to 11. I also pride myself a little on being able to guess the outcome of matches, but this was a match where my sorry little "prediction" could not match up to the real thing, and I knew it immediately.

1) Triple H v Shawn Michaels v Chris Benoit (XX)

Yeah. I said it. Let me set the story for you. Remember... I told you that XX was the first WrestleMania I bought (well... technically it was a birthday gift from a girlfriend) and watched live (it was my first year in college). Up to that point, I had never even seen a WrestleMania. And so, the entirety of WrestleMania XX will always hold a spot in my heart. And none more so than the main event. After what seemed like a non-stop assault on my senses, we had the triple threat match, and it was absolutely nuts. Even still today, I hold every triple threat match I see up to that one, in terms of pacing and drama. Every single time someone was about to win, the other guy would come in and break up the pinfall or submission, and it got to the point where you almost wondered if ANYBODY would be able to win, or if this match was just gonna go on. That sounds bad, but really, I only wondered because if it had gone on much longer, I would have had a heart attack. It was the buildup of intensity that just kept going and going until the very end, and when the end came, the release of that tension and the celebration was enough to make certain I bought every WrestleMania from then on on the off chance that I could feel that again. And I have.

There are so many other matches that I couldn't put on the list (stupid top 5 lists). Pretty much every match with Shawn Michaels (even the Cena one, because that one was actually kind of cool), and the Triple H/Undertaker matches from the last two years. Rock/Hogan. TLC II. Lesnar/Angle. I could go on and on, but I'll stop, because I filled out my five. Can't wait to see what happens with all of it tonight. :-D

[Eddie Mac]

Yeah, I know I'm a a couple days late. But I might as well chime in. Probably in no particular order, but whateves.

(1) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (WM13)
Psychologically, one of the best matches in wrestling history. And loved the "you'll kill me before I quit" look on Austin's bloody face (and Bret Hart randomly flipping off some guy post-match). Austin was so deep in his head.

(2) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WM X-Seven)
I consider this the last match of the Attitude Era, and it went out with a bang. The chemistry between these two is undeniable. Far and away the best match the two had with one another. Everything was on in that match (and that night, for that matter). When Austin shook Vince's hand and went heel, you knew nothing was gonna be the same going forward.

(3) Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WM X)
WM X as a whole was pretty damn good, and it kicked off with the greatest opening match in Mania history. The younger Hart, Owen, had a star-making performance against his older and more celebrated brother. And the finish, oh, the shocking finish. The countered victory roll got the win for Owen, and everyone was shocked. EVERYONE. Even Owen.

(4) Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (WM XX)
Probably the greatest three-way match I've ever seen. Just non-stop, and it was refreshing to see all three guys going at it for most of the match, instead of what we usually get in three-ways (two guys fighting while one rests on the outside). And I admit I marked the hell out when Benoit tapped out Triple H. And I cried a little when Benoit and Eddie Guerrero celebrated in the middle of the ring amidst all the confetti. Yeah, the moment doesn't nearly mean the same now, but at the time, it was awesome.

*I'm gonna cheat a little on #5.
(5) Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (WM III), Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock (WM X8), The Rock vs. John Cena (WM XXVIII)
I'm grouping these three because they're basically the same match, and while only III had the title on the line, the crowd was engaged for much of (in the case of Rock-Cena) or all of (the other two) the match. A very engaged crowd can help a match or show become much bigger that it should. For further evidence, see last night's RAW (or the RAW after Wrestlemania last year).