Top 5 Wrestlemania main event blunders

[LODemolition]

A lot of people might consider this year's WrestleMania main event one of the worst of all-time. That got me to wondering, how would you rank the top 5 mistakes that WWE has made for the main event of the biggest show of the year? It can be because you felt like the storyline was garbage, the match itself just plain sucked, you believed another match on the card deserved to headline, or all of the above. Please list your worst 5 Mania main events and what match you think should have headlined instead, along with any stipulations to the match you would add and/or championship(s) on the line. Also make sure to note which year the match happened...for example, don't just say "Taker vs Triple H." They met 3 times at WM, so please be specific. Here are mine, starting at #5...but first, a few dishonorable mentions.

WrestleMania XI: Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

This could very easily be #1 on the list, and maybe the only reason it isn't is because the roster was so incredibly thin at the time. This was an absolutely atrocious WrestleMania, easily in the bottom 5 of all-time. From start to finish, it had a very "mailed in" feel to it. I'm annoyed any time a celebrity athlete takes a spot on the card away from someone who has made wrestling their entire life, but to hand them the main event too? Here LT, you're more important than our world championship. Wow.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship: Bret Hart (c) vs. The Undertaker

I had no issue with Diesel and Shawn Michaels squaring off here, but it didn't exactly feel main event worthy at the time either. Bret Hart and The Undertaker were so incredibly misused at WM11. Bret faced Bob Backlund in an "I Quit" match in which Bret would avenge his loss at Survivor Series. This feud should have wrapped up by the Royal Rumble at the latest where Bret would regain the championship. I could even see Owen winning the Royal Rumble match and challenging Bret here. However, they met at WM10 in an absolute classic and then again at Summerslam '94 where Bret defended the title in a steel cage. So to freshen it up a bit, Taker would be my Rumble winner and perhaps with some interference from Owen, Taker would become new champion and go 4-0 at Mania. By the way, for those too young to remember...Taker faced King Kong Bundy at this event in a 6-minute match. See what I mean about being misused?

WrestleMania: Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff

The very first WrestleMania remains the only one in history in which the WWE Championship was not defended and let's hope it remains that way.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship, Hulk Hogan (c) vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

I understand it was 1985 and Vince wanted to pack as many celebrities as possible into the first Mania to make headlines, but I always thought why not just have Mr. T in Hogan's corner or give him his own match against Orndorff or Orton? Hogan and Piper in a 1 on 1 bout with the title on the line was the way to go, with Hogan retaining of course...because, Hulkamania.

WrestleMania XXIV, World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker

While I enjoyed this match and always thought that Edge was one of Taker's greatest rivals, I would have gone in a different direction for how to close the show at the Citrus Bowl in 2008.

The main event SHOULD have been: Career Match, Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair

I almost never think that the championship match shouldn't close out WrestleMania, but this is one of the few exceptions. There's absolutely nothing anyone can say to convince me that a career threatening match between 2 of the all-time greats didn't deserve the main event. This match had absolutely everything you could want and then some. Sure, it wasn't exactly a nail biter as far as the outcome was concerned, especially when they inducted Flair into the HOF the night before, but it still didn't lack single bit in the drama department. You could not script the end of that match any better than how they went about it. The perfect end to a brilliant 36-year career, and it could have been the perfect end to WM24.

And now my top 5.

#5 WrestleMania IX, WWE Championship: Bret Hart (c) vs Yokozuna

Had Yokozuna actually walked out of WM9 with the belt after defeating thr Hitman, I wouldn't have had any issue with the booking at all. However, in Vince's infinite wisdom, he decided to hand off the title directly to Hogan in what was more or less a cash-in long before Money in the Bank ever existed. The bell rang, Hogan dropped the leg, and he was champ once again. Yokozuna winning the rumble, beating Bret Hart, and establishing himself as WWE's new top heel was immediately crapped on by Hulkamania.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship: Randy Savage (c) vs. Bret Hart

In more of Vince's infinite wisdom, he decided that Randy Savage was yesterday's news and that he belonged behind the broadcast table instead of in the ring. Apparently, WWE was going in a new direction with the younger superstars. Which is why Hulk Hogan was crowned champion, right? So the previous September, Savage wad beaten for the title by Ric Flair, who he had won it from at WM8. Just over a month later, Flair would drop the belt to Bret, who became the company's top new babyface and carried the gold until Mania IX. I always thought that Savage and Hart would have put on a classic match given the chance. Instead of hot potatoing the title to Yokozuna and Hogan, have Savage pass the torch to Bret a la Hogan/Warrior 3 years prior...THEN if it didn't work out, you could always go area to your red and yellow safety net.

#4 WrestleMania XXIX, WWE Championship: The Rock (c) vs John Cena

Not only did these 2 main event WM the previous year, but the match was also dubbed "Once in a Lifetime."

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship Triple Threat , CM Punk (c) vs. The Rock vs. John Cena

Call me a traditionalist, but I'm very rarely in favor of triple threat matches for the championship at Mania. However, this one made gar too much sense to ignore. The 3 of them had been interwoven in a storyline since the previous August, when Punk had turned heel by attacking The Rock. Cena and Rock were already clearly at odds, having main evented against each other at WM28. And Punk and Cena were no strangers to one another, having great matches at MITB and Summerslam during the "Summer of Punk." For reasons I'll never understand, Punk's championship reign was ended by The Rock at the Royal Rumble. Instead of extending it to am epic 500+ days if he had walked into Mania as champ, the powers that be Smsaw fit to put the title on The Rock and give us a rerun with "Twice in a Lifetime." I know all great title runs must end, but Mania would have been the appropriate time and place for it to all come crashing down.

#3 WrestleMania VII, WWE Championship: Sgt. Slaughter (c) vs. Hulk Hogan

This was Hogan's 6th time main eventing Mania in 7 years and his opponent was not exactly main event caliber. Just look at where Slaughter was a year later at WM8: part of an 8-man tagwho were introduced by Family Feud host Ray Combs.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship Career Match, Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. "Macho King" Randy Savage

This is one of the all-time greatest matches in WrestleMania history and in my opinion, the best of Warrior's career. It was literally everything you could ask for in a main event, from both men kicking out of each other's finishers to Savage's post-match face turn, reuniting with Elizabeth. It definitely didn't need to be for the WWE Title, but neither did Hogan vs Slaughter. I liked the setup for this at the Rumble, when Savage attacked Warrior during his title defense against Slaughter. However, I would've had Warrior overcome the interference and then demand a match with Savage at Mania. Much like the Michaels/Flair match at WM24, it was head and shoulders above the rest of the card and deserved to close the show.

 

[LODemolition]

#2 WrestleMania XIX, WWE Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

While there was nothing wrong with this as a main event, the WWE failed to capitalize on a match that would have been absolutely huge. Had they known this would be their last opportunity to make it happen, perhaps WM19 would have turned out differently.

The main event SHOULD have been: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan

I've heard all the rumors as to why this match never happened (both men refused to lose, Hogan wanted Austin to turn heel, etc), but this is the world of fantasy booking so none of those issues matter here. The previous year at WM18, Austin sacrificed and took the lesser of the NWO opponents in Scott Hall. While I'm a huge Scott Hall fan, I realize that a match with Hogan is where the big money is. The match was given to The Rock (which also could have easily made this list) and it stole the show at the Skydome. Hogan and Austin would have at least equaled that match, and likely surpassed it. Not to mention WM19 took place at an awesome setting - Safeco Field in Seattle - which would've provided for great setting as 2 of the biggest legends in wrestling history did battle. I'd give Austin the win of course, with this being is final WrestleMania as an in-ring competitor.

#1A WrestleMania VIII (Double Main Event), WWE Championship: Ric Flair (c) vs. Randy Savage

#1B WrestleMania VIII, Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice

I think this is the most talked about WrestleMania in history when it comes to people talking about a main event that they would change. While there was nothing wrong with the Savage/Flair feud and match (in fact, it turned out to be pretty great), there was another match that everybody wanted to see more at the time. The other half of the WM8 double main event was just terrible. There's no other word to describe the Hogan/Sid matchup besides terrible. The finish is what left everyone scratching their heads. Yes, the surprise return of the Ultimate Warrior was great and got a giant pop from the Hoosier Done crowd, but a DQ ending to the main event of Mania? Wow. You just don't do that. And for the DQ to come courtesy of Papa Shango of all people? Just one of the greatest disappointments in Mania history. WM8 was a pretty solid event for the most part, but it just ended on a very sour note.

The 1st half of the double main event SHOULD have been: Ultimate Warrior vs. The Undertaker

If you get the Warrior to return to WWE, you do more with him than a run-in. Assuming he signed early enough to promote the match, you have some killer promos between Warrior and Taker, who would have been a completely natural fit for a feud. And even if he signed at the very last second before Mania, there's always the option of booking a mystery opponent for Taker. His feud with Jake Roberts was excellent, but the actual match didn't live up to expectations. So I wouldn't feel too bad making this change, knowing that the window was very small for a Taker/Warrior showdown. WM7, 8, and 12 are the only years it would have been possible, and as I said earlier, WM7 against Randy Savage was the best match of Warrior's career in my opinion. The fact that Warrior and Undertaker never had a real program astounds me. I do recall having a VHS tape of the WWE's 1991 world tour in which they squared off, but they never had a televised feud that I can recall. I imagine it had to at least be in the works and then Warrior's personal issues with Vince led to him leaving WWE before anything could play out. With both men being in their prime back in 1992, it's a shame someone would have to lose, but Taker would tombstone his way to victory and his face turn could wait until the early summer months leading into Summerslam.

The 2nd half of the double main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship, Ric Flair (c) vs. Hulk Hogan

Easily the most discussed match ever when it comes to WWE's booking mistakes. Again, the rumors are neither man would job to the other, but in fantasy booking, that isn't a problem we're faced with. With Flair nearing the end of his short stay in WWE and Hogan being Vince's flag bearer for nearly a decade, he would be the natural choice to go over - despite jumping ship to WCW himself just 2 years later. Who wins or loses isn't that important, just so king as the match actually happens. It was one of those dream matches that they had the opportunity to deliver on and just didn't pull the trigger. WM8 truly had the ability to be the greatest event in history, but whether it be egos getting in the way of great booking or if they were just scared of success, it ended up being mediocre at best.

 

[OYDK]

#5: Wrestlemania 2000, Mick Foley vs The Rock vs The Big Show vs HHH for the WWF Championship

The match was too overbooked and didn't need Mick Foley, much less the Big Show who didn't deserve a Mania main event in the least at this point. And of course, adding every McMahon in a separate corner was complete overkill which, once again, put the focus way too much on the McMahon family "rivalry" while overshadowing the actual competitors.

Should have been: The Rock vs HHH for the WWF Championship

These were the money guys with Austin out, there was no reason not to put these two in the Mania main event. They had been building towards it for months. The fans wanted to see it and it was definitely big enough to headline the biggest show of the year. It still irks me that we missed out on this match for the cluster that was the Fatal Four Way.

#4: Wrestlemania 10, Yokozuna vs Bret Hart for the WWF Championship

Been there done that the year before. If you're going to put on the same Mania main event two years in a row, it better be a damn good program and a once in a lifetime feud. Rock/Austin, Taker/Michaels, Cena/Rock, etc. Hart/Yokozuna was lacklustre both years to say the least and there was definitely no need to rehash one of the worst main events in Mania history up until that point.

Should have been: Bret Hart vs The Undertaker/Lex Luger for the WWF Championship

Hart and Taker were arguably the two hottest things going in the WWF at this time along with Lex Luger. It would have made perfect sense to have Taker beat Yokozuna in the Casket match at the Rumble and capture the title. Hart should have won the Rumble match cleanly instead of the lame double draw finish. Or they could have stuck with the double finish and had Luger take the belt from Yoko earlier in their match at Mania 10 leading to Hart/Luger. Either way, the fans would have been much more invested and the WWF wouldn't have had to cop out to get their fans to buy the PPV.

#3: Wrestlemaina 18, Chris Jericho vs HHH for the WWF Undisputed Championship

This seemed like a decent match on paper. These guys had been "lifelong" rivals up until this point, and the switch in face/heel distinction added some interest. I would have had no problem with this match going on second to last but everybody knows the finale...

Should have been: Hulk Hogan vs The Rock

This was a true dream match, one of the first in WWE's history and there was literally no reason to put this match second to last. I've argued before that hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to the booking and that nobody could have predicted the crowd reaction that night, but still... this was a true Mania main event and it should have gone on last. Can't blame Jericho/HHH for not being able to follow it.

#2: Wrestlemania 11, Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow

I'm with OP on hating seeing celebrities in the ring most of the time, but to put one, not even that big of one, in the main of event of Wrestlemania? Asinine. I get the whole business aspect of it (kind of...) but come on... LT could barely make it through the match and Bigelow was not exactly a main event guy at this time. This would be number 1 if not for the stupid mistake that I'll get to in a bit.

Should have been: Shawn Michaels vs Diesel for the WWF Championship

This was a Mania worthy main event and the story in it was a classic one. Everything just fell into place and it was ridiculous to supercede the title match for a farce. No more needs to be said.

#1: Wrestlemania 8, Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice

There were so many better options at the time, not to mention the actual title match between Flair/Savage which was an absolutely classic feud. Sid should not have been main eventing Wrestlemania 8, or 13 for that matter but that's another story. This match plain sucked all around and nobody expected any different. The finish is one of the lamest, if not the lamest in Mania history.

Should have been: Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship

This should have been a no-brainer. Hogan vs Flair, the two biggest names in wrestling history squaring off for the first time at Wrestlemania with the belt on the line. There was no reason for this match not to take place and in my opinion, no mistake will ever come close to the mistake of WWF missing out on this opportunity.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

WrestleMania: Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff

The very first WrestleMania remains the only one in history in which the WWE Championship was not defended and let's hope it remains that way.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship, Hulk Hogan (c) vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

I understand it was 1985 and Vince wanted to pack as many celebrities as possible into the first Mania to make headlines, but I always thought why not just have Mr. T in Hogan's corner or give him his own match against Orndorff or Orton? Hogan and Piper in a 1 on 1 bout with the title on the line was the way to go, with Hogan retaining of course...because, Hulkamania.

Wrestlemania would not have been Wrestlemania w/o Mr. T in the match. Remember prior to WM there were already celebrity involvements in Wrestling such as "The War to Settle the Score" and "Captain Lou Albano and Cyndi Lauper" so having someone in the actual match was the way to maximize the mainstream media attention.

Plus from what I understood around WM Mr. T was the bigger star than Hogan so having Mr. T as Hogan's partner actually was giving Hogan the "rub" so to speak.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

#2 WrestleMania XIX, WWE Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

While there was nothing wrong with this as a main event, the WWE failed to capitalize on a match that would have been absolutely huge. Had they known this would be their last opportunity to make it happen, perhaps WM19 would have turned out differently.

The main event SHOULD have been: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan

I've heard all the rumors as to why this match never happened (both men refused to lose, Hogan wanted Austin to turn heel, etc), but this is the world of fantasy booking so none of those issues matter here. The previous year at WM18, Austin sacrificed and took the lesser of the NWO opponents in Scott Hall. While I'm a huge Scott Hall fan, I realize that a match with Hogan is where the big money is. The match was given to The Rock (which also could have easily made this list) and it stole the show at the Skydome. Hogan and Austin would have at least equaled that match, and likely surpassed it. Not to mention WM19 took place at an awesome setting - Safeco Field in Seattle - which would've provided for great setting as 2 of the biggest legends in wrestling history did battle. I'd give Austin the win of course, with this being is final WrestleMania as an in-ring competitor.

Rock/Austin was actually supposed to be the last match in the card if it wasn't for Austin having heart problems earlier in the day. That said Austin knew WMXIX was going to be his last match and I think he would have wanted to finally put over The Rock after Austin winning their last two WM encounters.

Hogan/Vince was fine it was 10 mins too long though.

Lesnar/Angle was fine as the final match too, sure it wasn't the hottest match in the card but it was well fought one for the WWE Title. I think if Lesnar just connected with the Shooting Star Splash, no one would be debating if this match should have gone on last or not, people would have been unanimous with this going on last.

 

[World Class Mark]

WM8: Double Main Event
While Flair/Macho was a good match, Hogan/Sid was horrible, and everyone wanted to see Flair vs. Hogan, and that's what we should have gotten.

WM18: Y2J vs. Piece of Trash
Of course the Piece of Trash wanted to go on last, because he's the Trash of Trash, but how you don't close a show with Rock vs. Hogan will always be a head-scratcher.

Any other WM that the Piece of Trash Headlined
Yes, I am forever in that camp. And justifiably so. Triple Ass, err, sorry, Piece of Trash, is a legacy based on politicking and programming himself to face the top stars in vain attempts to legitimize his own worth, which will always be non top tier. WM24, in particular, is just the ultimate burial. Instead of putting over Orton, he puts himself over, then decides to drop the strap at a lesser PPV the next month in a B.S. six-man tag thing.

WM13: UT vs. Sid
Should have been Austin vs. Bret FOR THE TITLE since HBK didn't want to do HBK/Bret. Of course, that's on HBK, as legend has it. In hindsight, Austin/Bret would not have been a submission match had it been for the title, I'm guessing, so instead we were inadvertently blessed with one of the greatest WM matches of all-time. Still, though, going into the show, it should have been Austin/Bret, or Bret/HBK. As for UT/Sid, yawn.

TIE: the IX & X -and- the LT/BBB Main Events
IX and X simply had a clusterfudge of too much Bret/Yoko. IX was marred with Hogan's involvement and I would've liked to simply have seen Yoko go over, if that was the direction they really wanted to go in, which it was. As for WM-X, I didn't want to see that match again, and they closed the show with it. I know earlier in the night it was Lex/Yoko, but it might have been better had they gone with Bret/Lex and then the winner gets Yoko (although that would've meant we didn't get Bret/Owen to open the show). I dunno, just a weak top of the card at that time. The undercard was far more interesting. As for LT/BBB, I won't repeat what many have already said. I felt bad most of all for Bam Bam, as it was a horrible way to showcase (in my opinion) the greatest big man this sport has seen.










.

 

[AJ1981]

Any other WM that the Piece of Trash Headlined[/B]
Yes, I am forever in that camp. And justifiably so. Triple Ass, err, sorry, Piece of Trash, is a legacy based on politicking and programming himself to face the top stars in vain attempts to legitimize his own worth, which will always be non top tier. WM24, in particular, is just the ultimate burial. Instead of putting over Orton, he puts himself over, then decides to drop the strap at a lesser PPV the next month in a B.S. six-man tag thing.






.

I think you're thinking of WM25, at 24 Randy Orton pinned John Cena to retain the WWE Championship.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

Before I start my list I just want to say I'm very shocked that so many people feel that Hogan/Rock was the right call to make the main event of WrestleMania X-8. There literally was no reason to make it bigger than the Undisputed Championship. It was an iconic, legendary match that will always be remembered fondly but I honestly think the title match should always be last and HHH and Y2J were very over during the build. Another huge plus was Canadian superstar Chris Jericho was headlining in his home country.

Now on to the list:


5. WrestleMania VIII: Hogan vs Sid
This is a popular choice and rightfully so, I think we all agree that Hogan/Flair would've drawn more money and absolutely given us a much better match. It's a shame that their only battles happened far too many years too late. Should've been Ric Flair (c) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship

4. WrestleMania IX: Hulk Hogan vs Yokozuna
I actually didn't mind seeing Yokozuna become the first heel in WrestleMania history to win the WWF title at the event. It set a precedent that still hasn't even been fully capitalized on today, while making Yokozuna a legitimate dominant beast. Having Hogan erase that in 2 minutes is where my gripe is. The OP did make a very good point however, a Savage/Hart match would've been an instant classic and would've given my all-time favorite Bret the "torch passing moment" he never received yet so rightfully deserved. Should've been Randy Savage (c) vs Bret Hart for the WWE Championship

3. WrestleMania 29: Cena vs Rock II
Twice in a Lifetime. It's a damn shame that the only WrestleMania I ever attended in person ended up being the most predictable waste of time that WrestleMania has ever produced. With names like Brock Lesnar (his first WM in 9 years), Undertaker (who was still important because he had the streak), The Rock, Chris Jericho, and Triple H, this was supposed to be the most star-studded WrestleMania in years. Unfortunately almost all of those people were stuck in either a rematch or an uninteresting feud. I'm not totally convinced that a Rock/Punk/Cena triple threat is the best move here but it definitely would've been an upgrade from the finisher heavy spot-fest that they gave us at MetLife Stadium. I say let's speed up the Heyman betrayal storyline and say this should've been CM Punk (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship

2. WrestleMania 27: Cena vs The Miz
Hate the Miz. Dislike Cena. Despite those two facts I honestly don't think I'm being biased when I say that neither of them deserved to main event this show. The most over heel on the roster was CM Punk, I honestly don't even think it's a question. While it was more questionable, I also would say that Randy Orton was the top face at this time as well. Add in the fact that they both are superior in-ring performers and I feel like it would've been a no-brainer to make this match about the world title and make Cena/Miz fight over their movie careers or something equally stupid. The Rock can still go out there and cost Cena the win to set up the next year, but I don't think Miz should've been anywhere near the top prize in sports entertainment. Should've been Randy Orton (c) vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship

1. WrestleMania XI: LT vs Bam Bam
I like Lawrence Taylor. I like Bam Bam Bigelow. I did not like this match, and also hated the fact that this was the main event. I agree with the OP's belief that HBK/Diesel didn't quite seem like WM main event material, will also agree that Bret Hart should've headlined the event. The way I see it, they could've done two things: Have Owen win the belt from Backlund to set up a huge confrontation between the Hart boys at WM11, or just have Bret put over Undertaker with a clean loss at the big show. My vote leans toward the first one, that feud was so hot and I am very certain it would've continued to reap rewards if they pulled the trigger with a big WM main event showdown. Maybe even give it some sort of gimmick like 2/3 falls or submission only. Should've been Owen Hart (c) vs. Bret Hart for the WWE Championship

 

[Spencesc11]

Not sure why Vince won't pull the trigger on putting the top 2 draws to headline Mania.

We should've gotten
Hogan vs. Flair at WrestleMania VIII, I don't care how their dark matches went these were the 2 biggest draws of the 80's and you had them both so why you wouldn't headline mania is a serious head scratcher.

We should've gotten
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30.

And at some point Cena vs. Punk should've headlined a Mania.

And without a doubt you should've had Hogan vs. Rock close the show.

And what about Michaels vs. Taker??? Both their matches should've closed the show.

Wrestling is about the drama buildup and it seems the writers sometimes lose track of keeping the growing story going into the Main Event. If Taker was indeed booked to lose to Lesnar that year then those 2 should've closed the show as well.

The Mania Main Event either needs the hero to finally conquer his demons or some serious shock value.

 

[King Patrick Star]

My top 5 WrestleMania Main Event blunders, in chronological order, are:

WrestleMania

The Main Event match that took place:
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff with special guest referee Muhammad Ali

The Main Event matches that should have taken place:
No Holds Barred Tag Team match
Mr. T. and SuperFly Jimmy Snuka vs. Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff and Cowboy, Bob Orton
WWF Championship Title match
WWF Champion, Hulk Hogan vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper

Ever since I started watching Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainment, the idea of being World Champion was, is, and always will be the most important goal and achievement. This specific match, however, does get half a pass, only because the match featured the WWF Champion. What we should have had instead of the tag team Main Event was a double Main Event, split into two matches.

WrestleMania VIII

The Main Event match that took place:
Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice

The Main Event match that should have taken place:
WWF Championship Title Fatal 4 way match
WWF Champion, Ric Flair vs. Macho Man, Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice

Now, I understand that by this time, Hulk Hogan was either in the Main Event matches, or in the case of WM IV, featured in the Main Event, of every WrestleMania up to this point. There was really no need for him to close the show with Sycho Sid Vicious Justice. The WWF Championship Title match should have closed the show. Looking back at it now, I wouldn’t mind if they went with a Fatal Four Way instead, even though there was no such match type at the time.

WrestleMania XI

The Main Event match that took place:
Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

The Main Event match that should have taken place:
WWF Championship Title match
WWF Champion, Diesel (w/ Pamela Anderson) vs. Shawn Michaels (w/ Sid and Jenny McCarthy)

I get it. We have a celebrity on the grandest stage of them all. What I don’t understand is why LT had to close the show. I think the image of Big Daddy Cool, the Winged Eagle Belt, and Pam and Jen would have been a better sight to end the show with. I wouldn’t mind WM XI so much if the matches traded spots on the card.

WrestleMania XXVI

The Main Event match that took place:
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in a No Disqualification-No Count Out 'Career vs Streak' match

The Main Event match that should have taken place:
WWE Championship Title match
WWE Champion, Batista vs. John Cena

I know what everyone is about to say. It’s the WrestleMania Streak vs. Mr. WrestleMania’s Career in a No DQ / No Count Out match. Some will say it was bigger than Ric Flair’s last match in the WWE. I am not one of those people. I see the importance in the Undertaker / Shawn Michaels match, but I hold the WWE Championship Title in much higher regard. I look at it like we’re comparing a Legends match vs. a match to determine who the best is today. In my opinion, today’s best should always be higher on the totem pole than the yesterday’s / yesteryear’s best.

WrestleMania XXVIII

The Main Event match that took place:
John Cena vs. The Rock

The Main Event match that should have taken place:
WWE Championship Title match
WWE Champion, CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Again, if Ric Flair, who is my 5th favorite of all time, didn’t Main Event WrestleMania on his last match in the WWE, why did Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels end the night?? In this case, if Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock didn’t Main Event back at WM X8, why did The Rock vs. John Cena close the show?? Again, I get that these matches, including this last one, featured Main Attraction names, Stars, Legends, but this is part of the reason why the WWE is in the position it is in today. They relied too many times on part time performers, and hurt their chance to develop the Stars of the future. I didn’t mind that The Rock vs. John Cena headlined WM 29, only because the Big Scratch was on the line. Not to be that guy, but I think CM Punk would still be here if he closed WM XXVIII and was part of the WM 29 Main Event in a Triple Threat “Rock vs. Rap vs. Punk” match.

Those are my top 5 WrestleMania Main Event blunders, in chronological order.

 

[justinept]

I'll get to mine, but first, I want to critique some of the OPs choices...

WrestleMania XI: Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

This could very easily be #1 on the list, and maybe the only reason it isn't is because the roster was so incredibly thin at the time. This was an absolutely atrocious WrestleMania, easily in the bottom 5 of all-time. From start to finish, it had a very "mailed in" feel to it. I'm annoyed any time a celebrity athlete takes a spot on the card away from someone who has made wrestling their entire life, but to hand them the main event too? Here LT, you're more important than our world championship. Wow.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship: Bret Hart (c) vs. The Undertaker

WrestleMania was always about celebrities back in the day. That's how they got the mainstream media attention. By 1995, the WWE was still reeling from the steroid scandal. The media wasn't paying any attention to the company. Buyrates were down. Attendance was down. Interest was down. And so the WWF decided to go back to the well and infuse a celebrity into its main event. As a result, they got a ton of mainstream media attention. Did it work? No. Not at all... LT wasn't a big enough star by then, but the thought process was correct. As bad as the buyrate was for WrestleMania XI, it would've been worse without LT in the main event - especially given that Michaels and Diesel had zero household name recognition at that point.

As for Hart v. Taker. It's easy to look back at the period of time and see 'Taker for what he became. But he was nowhere near that level in 1995. He was a popular wrestler, no question. But he was mostly used to fight monsters like Yokozuna, Bundy, etc. There was no history of him being a top draw, and no attempt had really been made to that point to find out if he could be a top draw. WrestleMania was not the time to start that experiment.

In Hart's case, I enjoyed the way he was used at the event. I wish the match would've been longer, but the Backlund feud was awesome! Hell, it created the Backlund character that is still used to this day! Not sure your age, but Backlund was mostly a ho-hum character prior to 'snapping' and dislocating Hart's shoulder with a post-match chicken wing. Great feud. And since Owen/Bret had been done the year prior, it did make sense to wrap up this program at 'Mania XI.

WrestleMania: Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff

The very first WrestleMania remains the only one in history in which the WWE Championship was not defended and let's hope it remains that way.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship, Hulk Hogan (c) vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

I understand it was 1985 and Vince wanted to pack as many celebrities as possible into the first Mania to make headlines, but I always thought why not just have Mr. T in Hogan's corner or give him his own match against Orndorff or Orton? Hogan and Piper in a 1 on 1 bout with the title on the line was the way to go, with Hogan retaining of course...because, Hulkamania.

This has been addressed. But I'll add to this... The War to Settle the Score was shown on MTV on February 18, 1985. WrestleMania was held on March 31, 1985. Both events took place in the same building. Given Piper's determination to never be pinned (seriously, he was pinned once in his entire WWF career), the options were as follows: Make the audience pay to see another DQ finish or add a celebrity, make it a tag match, and let Orndorff take the pin. Option B is so obvious that this doesn't warrant much discussion.

WrestleMania XXIV, World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker

While I enjoyed this match and always thought that Edge was one of Taker's greatest rivals, I would have gone in a different direction for how to close the show at the Citrus Bowl in 2008.

The main event SHOULD have been: Career Match, Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair

I'd agree, but if memory serves - this was Flair's decision. Additionally, there's a lot of hindsight to this opinion. We know Michaels/Flair put on an epic match. But what if they hadn't? Would we still say it should've closed the show? After all, there was no guarantee Flair was going to put on a clinic at 63-years old. I'm really not sure he'd put on a great match in the decade prior to this.

#5 WrestleMania IX, WWE Championship: Bret Hart (c) vs Yokozuna

Had Yokozuna actually walked out of WM9 with the belt after defeating thr Hitman, I wouldn't have had any issue with the booking at all. However, in Vince's infinite wisdom, he decided to hand off the title directly to Hogan in what was more or less a cash-in long before Money in the Bank ever existed. The bell rang, Hogan dropped the leg, and he was champ once again. Yokozuna winning the rumble, beating Bret Hart, and establishing himself as WWE's new top heel was immediately crapped on by Hulkamania.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship: Randy Savage (c) vs. Bret Hart

Would Hart and Savage been better? Most likely. But the WWF wasn't just putting Savage out to pasture because they thought he was older. It was because they were under federal investigation in 1993 for steroids. Savage screamed roid rage. The WWF clearly wanted to take the focus off the guys who threw up steroid red flags. So they put Savage on commentary, and they added Hogan to a meaningless tag-team match to help waning ticket sales. It was only because Hogan refused to work the tag match without having the belt put on him at the end that the plans needed to be changed.

#4 WrestleMania XXIX, WWE Championship: The Rock (c) vs John Cena

Not only did these 2 main event WM the previous year, but the match was also dubbed "Once in a Lifetime."

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship Triple Threat , CM Punk (c) vs. The Rock vs. John Cena

I'll actually go one better in my section...

#3 WrestleMania VII, WWE Championship: Sgt. Slaughter (c) vs. Hulk Hogan

This was Hogan's 6th time main eventing Mania in 7 years and his opponent was not exactly main event caliber. Just look at where Slaughter was a year later at WM8: part of an 8-man tagwho were introduced by Family Feud host Ray Combs.

The main event SHOULD have been: WWE Championship Career Match, Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. "Macho King" Randy Savage

Yes, the Warrior/Savage match tore down the house and is the match that made me a wrestling fan for life. But just like Michaels/Flair, you don't know that this match would be great when it got booked! If Warrior had stunk up the joint, you'd be asking why a non-title match got privilege of main eventing...

As for Slaughter, while he was well past his prime in 1991, his refreshed gimmick gave him new life. Had he remained as the all-American GI Joe, then his match with Hogan wouldn't have been main event worthy. But when he sided with the Iraqi Army, in the midst of the Gulf War, the program had main event caliber written all over it. The reason it bombed (no pun intended) was because the general public thought it was in very poor taste. So once Slaughter took the loss, Slaughter dropped the gimmick and went back to being a wrestler past his prime.

----

And now for mine:

1) WrestleMania 27

Miz vs John Cena

Did I enjoy the Miz in his run toward becoming the WWE Champion? Yes. He was hitting on all cylinders and clearly deserved to hold the belt. But he wasn't ready to take that belt into Mania. NEver was this more evident by the fact that he was clearly overshadowed in his own championship program.

Instead, the match should've been John Cena vs. The Rock

Why make us wait a year - especially when you've declared your best main event option for the current year to be The Miz vs Cena. They still could've had the re-match a year later. It still would've made sense. And just for kicks, they could've put The Rock vs CM Punk at WrestleMania 29. Doing it this way improves 'Mania 27, keeps 'Mania 28 the same, and it probably keeps CM Punk happy enough to stick around... (OK maybe not the last one.)

2) WrestleMania 8
Hulk Hogan vs Sid

Look, I haven't read any of the responses, but this is probably on every one's list as it's the biggest missed opportunity in WrestleMania history. Forget the fact that this match sucked - that Sid was never over in any meaningful way - or that Warrior's botched run-in killed the match. The fact is that this match should've been:

Hogan vs Flair
FFS. What the hell were they thinking?

3) WrestleMania 13
Undertaker vs Sid

Again, why is Sid wrestling in the main event of WrestleMania? This guy wasn't over in 1992. And he wasn't over in 1997 even with the tweaks. In fairness, the WWF got screwed, but the match should have been:

Hart vs Michaels II

Michaels claimed he was injured. Most people dispute his claims, especially since he was doing moonsaults while suffering from this 'potentially career-ending injury." While he might've been hurt, it's really tough to make the claim that this guy couldn't work the WrestleMania 13 main event given that he worked the WrestleMania 14 main event with a broken back.

Yes, this change would've deprived us of the Hart/Austin match, a match that really made Austin's career. So in hindsight, it was probably for the best that Michaels 'faked' an injury.

4) WrestleMania 2000
Triple H vs The Rock vs. The Big Show vs. Mick Foley

Well, this was an all-time clusterfuck as the WWF clearly had no idea what to do in the immediate aftermath of the Austin injury. It seems like they thought Triple H was worthy of being the top heel, but they had some reservations about The Rock as the top babyface early in Austin's absence. They also seemed to want to get Big Show over in a big way since they'd paid him so much money to defect from WCW, but when he failed to get over with the audience - or to properly adjust to the WWF style - it seems like the Foley audible was called to help drum up interest in the match. It's a shame because this match proved that simple could be better 'cause it would've been better as:

5) Triple H vs The Rock
This was the best wrestling feud of the entire AE. They fought on the under-card, in the midcard, they led stables that feuded against one another, and then they fought in the main event. While Rock's involvement against Austin was always overshadowed by McMahon, his feud with Triple H was simply legendary. That they never wrestled one-on-one at 'Mania kind of a joke.

WrestleMania 30
Randy Orton vs. Batista vs Daniel Bryan

This is one of those times that the WWE failed miserably to realize the story they were telling. The Authority screwed over Daniel Bryan for months. They knocked him down at every turn, but Bryan only came away from each missed opportunity more popular than before. The story was calling for Bryan to eventually break through and conquer The Authority.

...but the WWE had other ideas. They preferred Orton vs Batista at WrestleMania. Why? Probably because Triple H predicted those two would headline WrestleMania's against one another back in 2003, and so he wanted to prove himself true even if he had to book it himself! Fortunately, the audience shit all over the announced Orton v. Batista main event, and the WWE changed course to include Bryan... But

Orton v. Bryan

should have headlined the night on its own. This is the story that was being told. Orton and the Authority had tormented Bryan for 6 months. This was the time for Bryan to get his payback... absent of any wrestler that wasn't featured previously in the story.

 

[sMark]

8)Hogan vs Sid
Hogan vs Falir should main event, we all know this

11) Lawrance Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow
No matter what, championship match always should close WM + Bigelow wasn't main event guy and Taylor wasn't ready. Special attraction? Yes. Main event? No.

13) Taker vs Sid
So many things went wrong (i look at you HBK), that Vince was forced to do something, but Taker vs Bret should be the main event. Bret should stay in main event, if anything, just to show Michaels, that WM main event can be done without him, but with the guy who was willing to work + Taker and Hart were 2 biggest stars at the time

16) Foley vs Show vs Rock vs HHH (i'am too lazy to name all the McMahons)
Honestly WM16 was the worst PPV of 2000, way to many tag matches, way too many guys who didn't deserve to be here. Yes Foley never was in Main Event, and WWE did him a huge favor, but why Big Show, why all McMahons, why overbook it to hell? Rock vs HHH or Rock vs HHH vs Foley should be the main event.

29) Rock vs Cena 2
Their 28's match was dubbed once in a lifetime, should stay this way, Punk deserved to be in. Punk vs Rock or Punk vs Rock vs Cena should be the main event

30) Daniel Bryan vs Batista vs Orton
I don't know about you, but with the all things happened since Royal Rumble this year, Daniel Bryan vs Triple H should main event

 

[FromGlasgow]

The main one for me was Wrestlemania 8, At the time I had been really looking forward to what I thought was a Hogan vs Flair main event, I agree the Savage vs Flair match was good but anything less than Hogan vs Flair no matter how good for me would have ended in a disapointment, Two biggest wrestling stars from the two biggest rival companies for the past decade in a chance to wrestle one being the WWF champion and the other being the NWA champion in like a title vs title thing could in my opinion have made for the biggest Wrestlemania of all time. So I won't ever understand the WWF's reasoning for not holding that match.
Maybe second choice would be Wrestlemania 11 main event as being from the UK I didn't even know who Lawrence Taylor was to me he was just some guy coming in and beating Bigelow main event should have been Diesel and HBK for the title.
I disagree with severals choice of Wrestlemania 1 main event as a child watching I thought it was so cool seeing my favourite TV star at the time teaming up with my favourite wrestler which is probasbly one of the reasons that made me such a fan still today.

 

[relentless1]

you all that are too young or just don't remember the first WrestleMania...it really couldn't have been anything other than what we got; you have to remember that this was meant to be a one off that got other audiences into wrestling, it was a culmination of Lou Albano, Cyndi Lauper, Mr T, Hogan and Pipers stories all coming to a head with the express purpose of getting the MTV kids to start watching wrestling... a plain old title match would not have brought the attention that they wanted for the show and thats a fact... At the time Mr T was one of the most recognizable faces in America; Vince thought correctly that putting him in an actual match would capture the imagination of those who didn't view his product, plus Hogan was far and away the most recognizable wrestling figure in the world at that point as well. It was the right call, the only call for Vince actually; he had to make the show seem larger than anything else he'd done up to that point and a title match wasn't going to do that.