WrestleMania 35 takes place on Sunday night, live from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. For the first time, women will be competing in the main event, as Raw women's champion Ronda Rousey, SmackDown women's champion Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch do battle in which the winner walks out with both belts.
There's no doubt that "The Showcase of the Immortals" has had its share of classic headliners.
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Who could forget the memorable 60-minute Iron Man match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 12? How about The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin having their classic match at WrestleMania 17? Or when Daniel Bryan captured the WWE championship in a triple threat match at WrestleMania XXX against Dave Batista and Randy Orton?
That being said, WrestleMania's had its share of clunkers in the prime spot of the biggest annual pro wrestling extravaganza, too.
Here, Sporting News takes a look at the worst main events in the history of WrestleMania.
WRESTLEMANIA 35
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10. WrestleMania I
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (w. Jimmy Snuka) vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (w. "Cowboy" Bob Orton)
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon stacked the match with as much star power as he possibly could because a lot was on the line. If the show didn't succeed, then the company could have gone out of business.
Muhammad Ali was the guest referee on the outside, while former New York Yankees manager Billy Martin was the ring announcer, and Liberace, who did his famous dance with The Rockettes, was the guest timekeeper.
The match was nothing special, but it was all about the spectacle of the people involved. Mr. T gassed extremely quick. The crowd couldn't have cared less as they weren't into until the ending moments when Orndorff had Hogan in a full nelson and Orton went to the top with his loaded cast on his left wrist. Orton accidentally hit Piper, Snuka beat up Orton and Hogan pinned Orndorff to a big roar from the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
But the match wasn't good, whatsoever.
MORE: Ranking the top 10 matches all time
9. WrestleMania 3
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant
The feud began when Hogan and Andre did an interview on Piper’s Pit alongside Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura. He challenged Hogan to a world title match at WrestleMania. Initially, Hogan declined because they were friends. Then, Andre ripped off Hogan’s shirt and the gold chain he got him, which led to Hogan accepting the challenge.
But the match, in general, was nothing to write home about. At this stage of his career, Andre was battling numerous injuries and could barely move. That was evident as the Frenchman relied on the ropes a lot in the match. His moves were slow, and Hogan wasn't known as someone who could carry anyone.
Still, the crowd ate everything up. Andre dominated the whole match until the end when Hogan finally knocked Andre off of his feet, and the crowd erupted. Then, in one of the most significant moments in pro wrestling history, Hogan slammed Andre, before nailing the leg drop for the pinfall to retain the belt.
Pretty humorous that Ventura said afterward that it was, "The greatest pro wrestling match" he had ever seen. The story was good, the crowd was electric, but the match itself was far from great, especially considering how excellent the Ricky Steamboat-Randy Savage match was earlier in the evening. Today's fans would have yawned at what they saw.
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8. WrestleMania 11
Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
For the second time, a celebrity would be the marquee attraction in wrestling’s highlight event. Taylor, the former star linebacker for the New York Giants, and Bigelow started their feud at the 1995 Royal Rumble, where Taylor was there sitting in the crowd. Bigelow walked over to him after his match and pushed him and off they went.
There were high expectations because of Taylor’s athletic background and the wrestling acumen of Bigelow. Ths standards, though, got raised in the match before when Shawn Michaels put in a star-making performance against Kevin Nash in his unsuccessful attempt to become the WWE champion.
Still, the aura of Taylor-Bigelow made the main event feel big and that showed with the way the crowd reacted during the bulk of the match. NFL stars such as Reggie White, Steve McMichael, Carl Banks, Chris Speilman and Ricky Jackson were in Taylor’s corner, while Bigelow had his Million Dollar Corporation on his side.
Wrestling for the first time, Taylor, who did win the bout, did better than expected, but the bulk of the credit should go to Bigelow, who carried him for almost 15 minutes. It was nothing more than a beginner match that had no place being in the position it was in.
WWE should have put it in the middle of the show like they did when Floyd Mayweather Jr. faced The Big Show at WrestleMania 24 years later.
Michaels-Nash should have been in the headlining spot. The match was significantly better, and it featured Pamela Anderson whose popularity was at an all-time high at the time for starring on “Baywatch.” A title match should always close WrestleMania.
MORE: SN Q&A: Charlotte Flair talks all-women WrestleMania 35 main event
7. WrestleMania 25
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
When you look and see these names, you wouldn’t think anything terrible since they are two good workers and the story coming in was substantial.
While having Triple H handcuffed to the ropes, Orton gave Triple H’s wife Stephanie McMahon a DDT and planted a kiss on her. “The Game” exacted revenge when he invaded Orton’s home and got into a brawl, which saw “The Viper” get thrown through his front window.
Two things proceeded to hamper the match. First, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels put on one of the best matches in WWE history. Secondly, for some reason that is befuddling to this day, it was revealed that if Triple H gets disqualified, then he would lose the title.
Why you'd put a halt to what was expected to be a brawl, when the babyface is trying to get revenge, makes zero sense.
With everything set against them, Orton and Triple H tried their best to have a wrestling classic. They failed miserably, and the crowd let them know it by not reacting to anything they did.
MORE: 10 great moments that define WrestleMania like no other
6. WrestleMania 2
Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match
After a wildly-successful first event, McMahon went for something that all thought would be virtually impossible because it was 1986. The card would take place in three locations: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
The festivities had a boxing contest between Roddy Piper and Mr. T in New York and a Battle Royal with a mixture of NFL players and wrestlers, which ended up being won by Andre the Giant.
The Bundy-Hogan feud started when the former attacked Hogan with a series of avalanche splashes during an episode of "Saturday’s Night Main Event," while Hogan was facing Don Muraco.
Celebrities were featured once again for the main event as then-manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda was the guest ring announcer. Movie actress Elvira was doing commentary with Lord Alfred Hayes and Ventura and the timekeeper was kid actor Ricky Schroder.
But loud boos came raining down from the crowd in Los Angeles as soon as Bundy and Heenan made their way to the ring while Hogan got a loud ovation. The match would be the first time the infamous blue steel bars were used. It ended up a weird match because Hogan dominated the entire time with Bundy getting in little offense except for one spot when he executed the avalanche and powerslam to expound on the back and rib injury Hogan had coming in. Not a typical main event, where the heel gets the advantage for the bulk of the bout, until the babyface makes the heroic comeback. Amazing how the crowd wasn't really into it due to the popularity of Hogan. It lacked drama and creativity, which made the people in attendance sit on their hands.
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5. WrestleMania 7
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan
The card had been scheduled for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Even though WWE tried to spin it by saying the card was moved to the LA Sports Arena because of the Gulf War angle, while ensuring the safety of everybody, it was really because of slow ticket sales.
The angle started with Slaughter, who was an American hero because of his stint on G.I. Joe, turning heel and becoming an Iraq sympathizer. Slaughter captured the WWE championship from The Ultimate Warrior at the 1991 Royal Rumble and Hogan won the 30-man Rumble match to get a crack at the new titleholder.
The setup was well done and Slaughter continued to rip Americans, going as far as to even burning Hogan merchandise. Still, Slaughter and Hogan had a lot to live up to because of The Ultimate Warrior-Macho Man Randy Savage career bout, which led to the reunion of Savage and Miss Elizabeth, on the same card before it.
A couple of minutes into the main event, Hogan was on the outside with General Adnan, when Slaughter delivered two of the weakest chair shots in pro wrestling history. A five-year-old could have delivered it better. Both guys looked too slow, as if they needed a walker at times in different spots of the match.
Hogan ended up hitting his signature spots, capped off by the leg drop to regain the WWE title for the third time. But this event started to signal that fans were beginning to lose interest in Hogan. The crowd didn’t explode like it usually did for the finish, and the reaction wasn’t like it used to be during that period. While still the biggest star in sports entertainment, the luster on “The Hulkster” was starting to wear off.
4. WrestleMania 33
Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker
On the surface, wrestling fans had to realistic that they weren’t going to see a classic here. The Undertaker had his undefeated streak broken three years earlier and had started to slow down significantly due to age and injuries piling up. Reigns, who was now headlining his third consecutive WrestleMania, didn’t have the skills to carry it to a passable match.
From the get-go, the contest was doomed when The Undertaker limped to the ring. Once he stepped through the ropes, it only got worse. The legend was slow and blew spots all over the place.
It finally ended with Reigns winning the lopsided affair. It should have been a passing of the torch to get Reigns to the next level that he desperately needed to get to. Instead, we saw a man the wrestling world admires be a shell of his former self and putting on a poor display.
3. WrestleMania 13
Sid vs. The Undertaker
Typically, the heavyweight title match should close the show. WrestleMania 13 should have been the exception, as Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart put on one of the greatest matches in the show’s history with their “I Quit” match.
Instead, wrestling fans left the Rosemont Horizon disappointed.
It all came about in February 1997, when Shawn Michaels infamously "lost his smile" and had to forfeit the belt. Hart won a four-way match the following week to win the title, but lost it the next day to Sid. The Undertaker earned the title shot by winning a No. 1 contenders match.
For over 21 minutes, we saw two giant men plod their way around the ring. Even the constant interference from Hart couldn’t save us from the boring action we were seeing.
The crowd went from rabid because of Hart-Austin and a solid street fight with The Nation of Domination and The Legion of Doom and Ahmed Johnson to a snoozefest, featuring too many punches, chinlocks and kicks.
Thankfully, it finally concluded when The Undertaker hit a Tombstone piledriver to win his second WWE championship.
2. WrestleMania 8
Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice (Harvey Wippleman)
Initially, the main event of the show was supposed to be Hogan and Ric Flair meeting for their first time on television. But a disappointing house show run between the two led Vince McMahon to panic and he switched course to Justice vs. Hogan and Flair taking on Savage.
Flair and Savage had a great match and Hogan and Justice had a lot to live up too, as the theme of the match was it possibly being Hogan’s last hurrah.
That being said, some of the worst spots in the bout occurred when Justice hit Hogan with a doctors bag that had nothing in it. It was slow and a typical Hogan match at this stage, since he was on the way out. You could see that he was going through the motions.
The ending sequence came when Justice picked Hogan up for his finishing move, the powerbomb, but put Hogan down softer than you would fluff a pillow. Hogan no-sold it and “Hulked-Up” to a decent reaction, but the ending was a complete mess. Hogan hit Justice with his customary punches, big boot, (a bodyslam) and then the leg drop. But unlike everybody else, Justice kicked out, which wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reports wasn’t supposed to happen, as Justice went into business for himself because he was getting fired for failing a drug test.
Knowing that wasn’t supposed to happen, Wippleman came into the ring to distract Hogan. You could see they didn’t know what to do for a few seconds. Hogan ended up throwing Wippleman onto Justice. Papa Shango then came down to the ring. He and Justice beat up Hogan until the music of The Ultimate Warrior blared and he ran down the aisle at 100 mph to take care of Shango and Justice. The crowd went home happy as the two babyfaces posed for the fans to end the show, but the match itself failed to deliver.
1. WrestleMania 9
Yokozuna (w. Mr. Fuji) vs. Hulk Hogan
WrestleMania IX was the first time WrestleMania had taken place outdoors, as it was held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and was supposed to be the first time it would be headlined by talent not named Hogan, as McMahon was looking toward the future.
The original main event was Bret Hart defending the WWE title against Yokozuna, who earned the shot by winning the 1993 Royal Rumble.
In a better-than-expected match with good crowd heat, Hart looked to have Yokozuna finished after putting him in the Sharpshooter. But Yokozuna’s manager, Mr. Fuji, threw salt in Hart’s eyes, allowing his guy to pin Hart to capture the belt.
The absurdity was just beginning.
Out came Hogan, who competed earlier in the evening with Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake to take on Money Inc. for the tag team belts. Hogan rushed to the ring to tell the referee what led to the title change. The referee couldn't have cared less.
While Hogan was tending to Hart, Fuji challenged Hogan to face the Japanese wrestler for the title right then and there on the spot. Reluctant at first, Hogan got the blessing from Hart and accepted the challenge.
Fuji attempted to throw salt in Hogan's eyes. Instead, Hogan ducked and it hit Yokozuna. Hogan hit the big boot, leg drop and in just 22 seconds, Hogan won his fifth WWE championship.
The match was terrible and set the sport back. While it seemed like the right thing was being done in gearing toward the future, this atrocity set WWE back a couple of years.
