Top 10 Best WrestleMania Main Events Of All Time – Ranking WWE’s Biggest Showdowns

With WrestleMania 41 on the horizon, we’ve picked out our top 10 best main events in the history of the Showcase of Immortals.

The main event of WrestleMania has delivered some of the most iconic matches in WWE history.

From dramatic showdowns to technical masterpieces, these are our top 10 best WrestleMania main events of all time – ranked.

Top 10 WrestleMania Main Events

10. John Cena vs Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 23

John Cena vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship had all the makings of a classic – although it did probably run longer than needed.

Still, it showcased Cena’s growing reputation as WWE’s ultimate big-match worker and Michaels’ ability to elevate any contest through selling and drama.

Michaels controlled the early going, outwrestling Cena and dictating the pace. A brutal piledriver on the steel steps left Cena bleeding, but he fought back with his signature power moves.

The Detroit crowd exploded for the dramatic closing stretch, filled with near-falls and counters, before Cena locked in the STFU to force Michaels to tap out.

A strong match that could have benefitted from a tighter runtime – it set the stage for Cena’s future WrestleMania epics.

The pair would put on an even better showing just weeks later on Raw, but as a WrestleMania main event, it remains a worthy entry.

9. Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle – WrestleMania XIX

Two generational athletes, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, overcame immense obstacles to deliver an outstanding WrestleMania main event.

Angle wrestled with a broken neck, and Lesnar, in his first WrestleMania main event, had to prove he was worthy of the spot. But despite these challenges, they put on one of the most purely wrestling-focused main events in WWE history.

SmackDown in 2003 had become WWE’s workrate-heavy brand, with Angle and Lesnar at its core. Their amateur wrestling pedigrees defined their styles, leading to a match filled with crisp mat exchanges, brutal suplexes, and high-impact offence.

Unlike the theatrics often seen in WWE main events, this was a relentless war of attrition, with both men wearing each other down in a display of sheer athleticism.

The match’s climax was unforgettable – Lesnar’s infamous botched Shooting Star Press left him concussed, yet he still managed to finish the match, hitting an F5 to secure the win.

This bout was a true testament to the resilience and skill of both men. Despite the risks, they delivered an intense, hard-hitting classic that stood out as a refreshing shift for WWE’s biggest stage.

8. Bianca Belair vs Sasha Banks – WrestleMania 37 Night 1

The main event of WrestleMania 37 Night 1 was historic before the bell even rang.

Two Black women headlining WWE’s biggest show of the year for the first time ever carried enormous significance – and Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair delivered a match that more than lived up to the moment.

Belair, still new to the main-event spotlight, wrestled with pure emotion and sheer natural talent, while the battle-tested Banks played the savvy, ruthless veteran trying to outthink her challenger.

The match was a perfect mix of athleticism and psychology – Belair’s strength and incredible feats of power countered by Banks’ experience and craftiness.

Banks targeted Belair’s iconic braid throughout, only for it to backfire spectacularly in the closing moments.

When Belair finally connected with the KOD for the win, she wasn’t just a champion – she was a megastar.

Few WrestleMania main events have done a better job of elevating a Royal Rumble winner into a top star.

Banks once again proved why she’s one of the best ever, and Belair proved that her ceiling doesn’t exist. A true milestone for representation and a feel-good triumph for pro wrestling.

7. Roman Reigns vs Edge vs Daniel Bryan – WrestleMania 37 Night 2

Spinal stenosis. Brain trauma. Cancer.

These career-ending afflictions couldn’t stop Edge, Daniel Bryan, or Roman Reigns from reclaiming their places in the main event of WrestleMania 37.

This triple threat match wasn’t just a title bout – it was a battle between three men who defied fate to be here, making it the most narratively rich WrestleMania main event in history.

By 2021, Roman Reigns had transformed into the “Tribal Chief,” a cold and calculating heel who had finally found his identity as WWE’s top star.

Edge, who had miraculously returned the previous year after a decade of retirement, was desperate to complete his comeback story.

Daniel Bryan, the ultimate underdog, had announced this would be his last WrestleMania, making his motivation all the more urgent.

Each man had something to prove, which made for an intense and emotionally charged match. Edge wrestled with fury, Bryan with relentless aggression, and Reigns with the ruthless efficiency of a conqueror.

A standout moment saw Reigns shake off the crowd’s “Roman Sucks” chant – not as rejection, but as validation that he had finally arrived.

The dual crossface spot with Edge and Bryan locking in simultaneous submissions on Reigns led to a brutal exchange of headbutts, further blurring the lines of morality.

Ultimately, Reigns delivered con-chair-tos to both opponents and stacked them for a decisive double pinfall, cementing himself as WWE’s undisputed top star.

Unlike his previous forced coronations, this victory felt truly earned. WrestleMania is where legacies are made, and on this night, Roman Reigns finally reached godhood.

6. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns – WrestleMania 31

Arguably the most violent and carnal WrestleMania main event ever, the first Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns clash felt more like a real fight than a wrestling match.

Lesnar, at the peak of his dominance, was an unstoppable force – a terrifying, legitimate athlete whose matches carried a rare, dangerous energy.

Reigns, WWE’s handpicked new top guy, walked into a hostile environment, where fans resented his forced rise.

From the opening bell, the match was brutally intense. Lesnar tossed Reigns around with reckless abandon, battering him with knees, suplexes, and lariats that looked like they could cause real damage.

Reigns, to his credit, fought back with stiff strikes, his defiance growing with each devastating blow. The more Lesnar punished him, the more Reigns smiled through the pain, showing a level of grit and toughness he had never displayed before.

When Reigns finally turned the tide – sending Lesnar into the ring post and drawing blood – it was the first moment of true vulnerability for the beast. His crimson-stained selling, combined with Reigns’ explosive Superman Punches and spears, created an electric atmosphere.

Then came Seth Rollins. His Money in the Bank cash-in added an unforgettable layer of drama to an already spectacular match, capping off what was, even before the twist ending, one of the best WrestleMania main events of all time.

Lesnar was an absolute monster, Reigns had the performance of his career, and together they crafted a match that felt more real, more raw, and more gripping than anything WWE had done in years.

5. Chris Benoit vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania XX

The emotional culmination of a yearlong journey, the triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX remains one of the most hard-hitting and dramatic encounters in WrestleMania history.

Chris Benoit wrestled like a man with everything to prove – aggressive, physical, and hungry in his pursuit of the title.

Combine that with Shawn Michaels’ flair for the dramatic and the fact that Triple H wisely let them both shine without getting in the way, and you get a classic.

The match built beautifully, while blood, big spots, and near-falls heightened the drama, culminating in Benoit reversing a Pedigree into the Crossface.

Triple H’s tap-out sent Madison Square Garden into a frenzy, closing the night with one of WrestleMania’s most emotional endings.

Benoit celebrated in the ring with his best friend and newly crowned WWE Champion, Eddie Guerrero.

4. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 26

The sequel to the iconic match from WrestleMania 25, The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26 carried the impossible pressure of living up to its predecessor.

While it had some of the same magic, there was an undeniable sense of calculation in this match, as both legends sought to recapture the lightning that had struck the year before.

The stakes were even higher this time round too, with The Undertaker’s undefeated streak on the line against Michaels’ career, and the intensity was palpable from the opening bell.

Unlike their previous encounter, this match felt like it was consciously trying to be even bigger, more dramatic, and more epic – almost as if it was over-engineered to be perfect.

But even with these added layers, it was still Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker – two of the best to ever do it, carrying the fans through their incredible storytelling.

There were plenty of callbacks to their previous bout, and the match followed a familiar rhythm: a brutal outside bump, traded finishers, and signature spots.

The crowd was invested, and despite the predictability of some moments, the match built to an unforgettable climax.

Michaels’ refusal to stay down, climbing up The Undertaker’s body to slap him before being finished off with a second Tombstone Piledriver, felt like a fitting, if melodramatic, conclusion to his career.

While it may not have had the same raw, organic magic as their encounter the year prior, the match is still a great spectacle – carefully curated, yes, but undeniably thrilling.

It’s a testament to the ability of two legends to keep the stakes high, even if the magic spontaneity was a little harder to capture this time.

3. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs The Usos – WrestleMania 39 Night 1

For the first time in history, a tag team championship match headlined WrestleMania, and it couldn’t have been more fitting.

Months of betrayal, heartbreak, and redemption led to this, with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn fighting to dethrone the record-setting Usos.

The match didn’t just feel big; it was big. This was the culmination of one of WWE’s best storylines in the modern era, and the energy in the stadium reflected that.

Owens and Zayn fought with desperation, like men who had been through hell to get here, while The Usos brought their cohesive tag-team offense, hitting crisp superkicks.

Near-falls came fast, each one carrying immense drama – Zayn endured a brutal beating, including Jey mocking him with his own Helluva Kick. But the challengers refused to stay down.

The final stretch saw Owens hit a Stunner, Zayn deliver three Helluva Kicks to a stunned Jey Uso, and with that, the longest tag title reign in WWE history came to an end.

This was everything a modern WrestleMania main event should be – an incredible match elevated by an all-time great story.

2. Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns – WrestleMania XL Night 2

For two years, Cody Rhodes’ story had been about chasing destiny. At WrestleMania XL, he finally did it.

After all the roadblocks, betrayals, and nigh-impossible odds, The American Nightmare finished the story. And he did it in what might be the greatest ending to a WWE show ever.

They didn’t just give us the peak sports entertainement closing stretch. Before the chaos, before the run-ins and spectacle, Cody and Roman wrestled a hell of a por wrestling match.

Their chemistry is undeniable, and it’s rare for WWE’s two top guys to complement each other this perfectly.

Some would argue that their match at the previous year’s ‘Mania was better, and as a pure wrestling match, that’s probably fair, but we can’t ignore the disappointment in the result.

Reigns, dominant and calculating, was the ultimate final boss, and the resilient Rhodes was the perfect hero to finally take him down.

Of course, with it being a Bloodline Rules match, interferences came in waves. Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Seth Rollins, and even John Cena got involved.

The Rock arrived to stack the deck against Cody, but then – like a ghost from WWE’s past – The Undertaker appeared to even the odds.

It was chaotic and ridiculous, but it worked, and three Cross Rhodes later, Reigns’ historic reign was over.

This was a special main event – the kind that defines eras.

1. The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin – WrestleMania X-Seven

On April 1, 2001, sports entertainment peaked.

The wrestling boom of the late ’90s reached its apex with The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, as for one night, the WWF ascended to a stratosphere it had never been at before.

WrestleMania X-Seven wasn’t just a show; it was a spectacle, the culmination of an era.

Everything about it – the atmosphere, the commentary from Jim Ross and Paul Heyman, the crowd, and the stakes – made this feel like the biggest match in company history.

Asutin and Rock were the two biggest stars in the business, and their main event here felt like the ultimate sports entertainement showdown.

The match wasn’t a technical masterpiece, but it didn’t need to be.

It was a Hollywood blockbuster between two box office attractions and it was everything a WWE-style main event should be – electric atmosphere, relentless intensity, blood, big moves, trading submissions, finishers, and delirium-inducing kickouts.

Austin, despite being the fan favourite, worked the match a scrappy, heelish aggression, while The Rock brought his signature flair, even if some of his execution wasn’t always perfect.

The Vince McMahon interference and chair-assisted finish were divisive, but in hindsight, they only added to the drama.

With WCW and ECW gone, and The Rock on the verge of his first Hollywood break, this match felt like the end of an era, even as the machine kept rolling the next night.

A generational clash, a tremendous match, and for us, the best WrestleMania main event to date.