The 12 greatest WrestleMania moments, named and ranked

Whether you’re a diehard wrestling fan or tune in once in a while, there’s no doubt that WrestleMania is one of the biggest events of the year.

We are just around the corner from the 39th edition of the Showcase of the Immortals set to take place in Hollywood.

It’s a thrilling card that is filled with year-long dramatic stories, dream matches, celebrity appearances, and the first Hell in a Cell match at a Mania in years.

There will undoubtedly be WrestleMania moments aplenty, as there is every year, and to celebrate we’ve decided to name and rank some of our favourites from years past.

For 39 years of Mania, we were spoiled for choice - so here’s our top 12 of all time

12. ‘Bah God’ - Edge spears Jeff Hardy off a 20-foot ladder - WrestleMania X7

It’s perhaps the most iconic image in WrestleMania history.

A young Jeff Hardy dangling perilously from the tag titles hung 20 feet above the ring - with a daring Edge scaling the ladder.

It was tables, ladders, and chairs for the tag team titles between Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and the Dudleys.

Three of the most iconic teams of the Attitude Era going at it in one of the most dangerous matches in the history of the sport.

With all teams eager to etch their mark in WWE history - this moment stood above the rest.

The future Rated R Superstar hurls himself off the ladder and catches Hardy midair as they both comb crashing down to the canvas below - brutal.

11. Stone Cold comes out of retirement in Texas - WrestleMania 38

The most recent one on our list comes from last year’s WrestleMania so it still sits fresh in our minds.

Stone Cold is without a doubt on everyone’s Mount Rushmore of wrestling greats - so for him to come out of retirement after 19 years will forever be a momentous moment.

In his home state of Texas, Steve Austin was challenged on the night to a No-holds-barred match by none other than Kevin Owens.

To the delight of the crowd Stone Cold decided to put on the wrestling boots one more time as they fought throughout the arena as fans were transported back 20 years.

10. Icon vs Icon - WrestleMania X8

Two icons of their respective generations, it was a dream match that many wrestling fans never thought they’d actually get to see - The Rock vs Hulk Hogan.

The company promoted the matchup as Icon vs Icon - and boy did it live up to every expectation.

And while everyone expected sparks to fly, the Toronto crowd inside the SkyDome made this a match that no one will ever forget.

It was Hogan’s first Mania in nine years and the crowd couldn’t contain themselves - with the atmosphere insane.

Perhaps one of the biggest reactions of all time came when the now-69-year-old ‘Hulked Up’ for the first time since 1993.

Dwayne Johnson had just hit the ‘Rock Bottom’, before Hogan quickly kicked out and pulled out one of his all-time comeback sequences as the crowd went nuts.

In the end, The Rock secured the victory with three ‘Rock Bottoms’ and a ‘People’s Elbow’ to end one of the most memorable Mania matches of all time.

9. “I’m sorry, I love you” - Shawn Michaels retires Ric Flair - WrestleMania XXIV

Five words that will live on in WrestleMania folklore.

In the lead-up to WrestleMania 24, Vine McMahon declared that if the 16-time world champion Ric Flair lost one final match he would be forced to retire.

He managed to stay undefeated for a few months but then he finally came up against Mr WrestleMania himself.

There was the utmost respect between the two legends of the game, as was reflected in the final moments of the match.

As Flair stood up across the ring, the Heartbreak Kid struggled to finally pull the trigger on his opponent’s legendary career.

As the Hall of Famer gestured to Michaels to ‘come on’, HBK obliged but not before uttering: “I’m sorry, I love you.”

8. Stone Cold refuses to quit to Bret Hart - WrestleMania XIII

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This moment’s importance comes down to the fact that it propelled the career of one of the greatest of all time.

Austin came into the match as the traditional bad guy, with Bret a respectable good guy.

By the end, the roles had been completely reversed.

Hart showed a vicious side that fans hadn’t seen before, bloodying Austin up as the Rattlesnake became a sympathetic figure who refused to quit.

As the Hitman grabbed Stone Cold in the sharpshooter, blood streaming down his face, Austin didn’t dare tap out, as the crowd got squarely behind him.

Austin would pass out from the pain as Hart was awarded the match - but Stone Cold would gain respect and mass popularity among the WWE fans and go on to become an all-time favourite.

7. Seth Rollins performs the heist of the century - WrestleMania 31

Now, this is how you end a WrestleMania.

It was Brock Lesnar up against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 31 in what was a matchup that had fans divided.

The bout was pretty darn good despite the initial reluctance from the crowd - but what we were in for next is a moment that went down in history.

As both Lesnar and Reigns were laid flat out, a certain Seth Rollins would capitalise with his music hitting to a monstrous pop.

He would run down with his Money In The Bank briefcase and cash in his opportunity at a championship match at any time.

After hitting Reigns with the curb stomp and securing the pin he would exit WrestleMania as the WWE champion despite not being in the match in the first place.

It would go down as the heist of the century.

6. Shawn Michaels’ loses his career while challenging for The Streak - WrestleMania XXVI

The year before Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had put on perhaps the greatest WrestleMania match of all time.

The Deadman would prove successful in retaining his streak on that occasion, but it only made Michaels more hungry to be the one to end the legendary record.

After months of being a thorn in Taker’s side, Michaels would get his match, but on one condition - his career would also be on the line.

The two went on to put on another all-time Mania classic, proving why they are two of the best to ever do it.

In the closing moments of the match, HBK would mock Undertaker’s iconic throat-slashing gesture before ending up on the receiving end of a Tombstone.

One, two, three, and the legendary career of Shawn Michaels was over.

5. Stone Cold joins forces with Vince McMahon - WrestleMania X7

WWE Network.

WrestleMania 17 was, in my opinion, the greatest Mania of all time.

It had hardcore moments, crazy storytelling, all-out brawls, and to top it off the greatest swerve of all time.

It was The Rock up against Steve Austin in the main event - the two top stars in the game for the WWE Championship.

It was an all-out war that concluded with a ‘deal with the devil’.

Austin and Vince McMahon had been wrestling’s greatest rivalry for years at that stage, as Stone Cold continued to be a source of exasperation for the boss.

But as McMahon conspicuously made his way down to the ring, something certainly seemed off.

The WWE chairman would go on to hand Steve Austin a chair as he helped him brutalise the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment to finally win the championship.

The two would then shake hands in an image no wrestling fan at the time could have predicted.

Jim Ross’ iconic commentary only made the moment even more memorable as he announced that Austin was 'shaking hands with satan himself'.

4. Daniel Bryan defeats The Authority - WrestleMania XXX

I don’t think there’s been a wrestling storyline that has had fans more emotionally invested than Daniel Bryan’s journey to the top of the wrestling mountain.

The mega-popular superstar had earned the adulation of the fans over his career in wrestling but was never seen as THE top guy by those in charge of WWE.

It was a story that merged reality with the world of wrestling and had fans begging for Bryan to win the big one.

After battling The Authority for almost a year, and with it seemingly feeling like he was never going to get the opportunity for that main stage, it finally came at WrestleMania XXX.

With the ‘YES movement’ behind him, the underdog had to defeat Triple H to get inserted into the main event with Batista and Randy Orton.

Overcoming the odds in the opening match of the night, he made his way into the triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight championship.

In a main event for the ages, Bryan took out three legends of the industry to overcome all the odds.

As he had Batista in the Yes Lock, the excitement throughout New Orleans was palpable before the Animal finally tapped out.

Every fan was on their feet in a truly emotional moment for WWE fans as they finally got to see their guy win the big one.

3. Hogan slams Andre - WrestleMania III

Coming in at third place is a moment that took place at the third instalment of WrestleMania.

This is perhaps the moment that kickstarted the idea that WrestleMania was more than just a mega-wrestling event - but a spectacle that needed to be seen whether you were a wrestling fan or not.

It was the uber popular Hulk Hogan up against his former friend, the 15-year undefeated Andre The Giant.

93,000 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan to see the two industry greats battle over the WWE Championship.

Andre proved to be a threat to Hogan’s title, with his sheer power and size - but Hogan would manage to overcome those odds.

In a moment that solidified Hogan’s place in wrestling legend, the Hulkster hoisted up the 500lbs giant and delivered a bodyslam that was heard around the world.

The champion would receive a thunderous ovation before following it up with a leg drop to secure the win in one of the biggest main events of all time.

2. First-ever women’s WrestleMania main event - WrestleMania 35

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After 35 years of WrestleMania, the women’s division earned the distinction of the main event.

It was a momentous moment as Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch headlined the Grandest Stage of them All for both the Smackdown and Raw Women’s Championships.

It was a distinction that absolutely felt like it was earned, with three bonafide megastars clashing in the most anticipated match on the entire card.

Becky Lynch had organically grown to the biggest star in the entire company over the past year, with Rousey and Flair two thorns in her side.

The Irish superstar would roll up Rousey to earn the win and finish the biggest night on the wrestling calendar off with a woman standing tall.

Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair would naturally main event night one of the event two years later, again proving how far the women’s division had come in the WWE.

1.The streak is over - WrestleMania XXX

Undertaker’s 21-0 WrestleMania streak will never be replicated.

It was held in a regard surpassing that of any world championship or title - it was the most protected accolade in the history of wrestling.

An undefeated streak with such a mystique that every year it became one of the most intriguing parts of the Grandaddy of Them All.

Whoever defeated The Undertaker at Mania would become an instant star, that was unless the Deadman would finish his career without losing.

It was the question that was pondered every year - until April 6, 2014.

It was Brock Lesnar up against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 with the streak on the line.

The Beast Incarnate was relatively dominant throughout with Taker looking out on his feet and exhausted.

Despite the one-sidedness, no one was ready for what was to come next.

Lesnar hoisted Undertaker up on his shoulders and delivered an F5 for the three-count.

There was complete shock in the arena followed by absolute silence as people tried to comprehend what they had just witnessed.

The reaction was a reflection of just how revered the streak was, and it was a moment that will never be replicated.

WrestleMania 39 is set to take place over two nights on April 1 and April 2.