WrestleMania is the biggest show and night in the WWE and wrestling calendar and has been since its inception in 1985.
As a result, many of the biggest matches, feuds and rivalries in the history of the industry have taken place on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock, Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant, Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart to name just a few.
One would think that all the biggest matches WWE could produce and have produced took place at ‘Mania, even if they also took place at smaller pay per views or on episodes of Raw or Smackdown.
Taking this into account, GiveMeSport runs you through 10 WWE matches that weirdly didn't happen at WrestleMania…
10. Edge vs Christian
Introduced as storyline “brothers” and real-life best friends, Edge and Christian have stood both side by side and opposite one another over the course of their lengthy careers. However, they only ever wrestled as a tag team at ‘Mania, unlike their greatest rivals, the Hardy Boyz. It seems a missed opportunity and is probably the only small regret from either men’s careers.
9. John Cena vs Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar John Cena
Cena replaced Lesnar as the No.1 guy in the company following the latter’s departure from the company in 2004. Upon his return in 2012, the two megastars would clash in several main events, most notably at Summerslam 2014 when Lesnar shockingly squashed Cena. It is a surprise Vince McMahon never ran this marquee match at “The Showcase of the Immortals.”
8. John Cena vs CM Punk
Another entry for Cena (there is a few), Cena and Punk fought over the WWE Title for two straight years between 2011 and 2013, with Punk being champion for a staggering 434 days.
However, this coincided with The Rock’s return to wrestling and subsequent back-to-back WrestleMania main events with Cena. This snub contributed to Punk’s abrupt departure from the company in early 2014.
7. Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper
Hogan was the ultimate babyface. Piper the perfect heel foil. The two were integral to WWE’s boom period in the 1980s and faced off in the WrestleMania 1 main event. But in a tag team match, with Hogan flanked by Mr. T and Piper by Paul Orndoff.
Hogan later faced Andre, Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior amongst others at ‘Mania but never his greatest WWE rival. The two eventually met at Starrcade 1996, WCW’s equivalent of WWE.
6. Triple H vs Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels Triple H
Best friends in real-life and for much of their WWE careers, the two had a lengthy on-off feud in the early-to-mid 2000s following HBK’s return to the ring. They met in his first match back and a series of gimmick matches for the next three years – Three Stages of Hell, Last Man Standing, Hell in a Cell.
Yet, they never squared off in a singles match at WrestleMania. The closest they came was WrestleMania 20 in 2004, when they competed in a World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat match won by Chris Benoit. It is an odd omission from their CVs.
5. John Cena vs Edge
Both Cena and Edge have credited the other for helping make them the biggest babyface and heel they could be in the mid-2000s. They really were a perfect match, as highlighted in the recent WWE Rivals series.
Despite countless Title matches including Edge’s first WWE Championship and an epic TLC match at Unforgiven 2006, the two legends never met at ‘Mania. The closest was, like The Game and HBK, a Triple Threat, theirs including The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 25.
With Cena rumoured to be back for WrestleMania 39, could their rivalry be closed off with one last match?
4. The Rock vs Triple H
The Great One and The Game’s careers and rise to the top were intrinsically linked. They first feuded over the Intercontinental Championship before graduating to main event status in the late-1990s. With Stone Cold injured, the two engaged in a lengthy feud over the WWE Title in 2000.
The obvious main event for WrestleMania 16 was a clash between the Royal Rumble winner Rocky and WWE Champ Triple H. The Big Show and Mick Foley were foolishly added into a McMahon-centric Fatal Four Way instead. Epic singles matches took place at both Backlash and Judgement Day, the two following pay per views.
3. The Shield Triple Threat
The Shield
This match-up is one of the biggest missed opportunities in modern WWE history, and unlikely to ever happen again, given Jon Moxley’s position in AEW. When he was Deam Ambrose, WWE did run it, but at a C-list pay per view in the form of Battleground 2016.
This followed on from Money in the Bank, where all three members of the iconic group were WWE Champions in the space of five minutes. With Reigns, Rollins and Moxley all now pillars of the industry and Champions, the idea of that ‘Mania main event is even more tantalising.
2. John Cena vs Randy Orton
No one has faced John Cena more than Randy Orton, and vice versa. They both graduated from the OVW “Class of 02” and spent much of the next 15 years feuding with one another. They have won a combined 30 World Titles and fought one another in every match you could think of. And in the main event of eight pay per views.
It is plain odd that the two faces of the WWE in the late-2000s and early-2010s never faced off in a singles match at WrestleMania. The closest, like Cena with Edge, was a Triple Threat featuring Triple H at WrestleMania 24.
Again, like Edge, could the closing chapter of this rivalry be written at WrestleMania 39?
1. Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair
The two biggest stars for the 1980s and much of the 1990s, and two wrestlers placed on many people’s Mount Rushmore. Hogan was the face of WWE, Flair of the NWA/WCW. It was a bona fide dream match that never seemed possible. That was until Flair joined WWE following a falling out with the booker of WCW.
It seemed certain the two biggest names in wrestling would collide in the main event of WrestleMania 8, and that was the original plan. Following a series of house show matches, Vince McMahon changed the plan, pairing Hogan off with Sid and Flair with Savage. Reasons for this include their different wrestling styles, their egos and the reactions on said house shows.
The pair clashed countless times in WCW, including Hogan’s first match with the company, however, both were older by this point. They did eventually have their WWE Title match in 2002 on an episode of Raw. A major missed opportunity for all involved.