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**redoneja** · 03-02-2010, 05:53 PM

Wrestlemania 3
To me, this is really where Wrestlemania became "Wrestlemania". This was the first Wrestlemania to be held in a stadium instead of an arena and had probably the biggest matchup of the 1980's as the main event. Sure, Wrestlemania I was the 'first' event and was groundbreaking but I feel Mania 3 really solidified what Wrestlemania is.

Wrestlemania 6
On here because of the size and scope of the event, as well as the main event. Hulk Hogan v The Ultimate Warrior is probably the biggest main event in Wrestlemania history, even bigger than Hulk v Andre and Steve Austin v The Rock at Mania 17. Hogan was still the most over face in the WWF, six years after winning his first title. The Ultimate Warrior was just as over as Hulk Hogan and had been red hot since debuting in 1988. Not only were they the most over wrestlers in the company, but they were the most protected. Nobody cleanly went over Hogan or the Warrior. If they lost, it was countout, DQ, or due to interference. Add to that the fact they were both babyfaces, and had never wrestled each other before. Remember, this was in an era where the main event workers didn't work with each other every 6 months. Add to all of this a solid undercard, and you've got yourself a top 5 Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania 15
Kinda hard not to put this Wrestlemania on the list when it occurred at the height of the last boom period (Attitude Era, obviously). Buildup for the Austin/Rock main event began at Survivor Series, 4-5 months before Mania. Nowadays we're lucky if a main event gets 4-5 weeks of build. Also, the undercard was tremendous. You had the X-Pac/Shane McMahon and HHH/Kane matches representing the DX/Corporation feud, two solid matches for the Hardcore and IC titles, among others.

Wrestlemania 17
This was the first Mania to return to a stadium since Wrestlemania 8. And I think it really recaptured the "feel" of Wrestlemania. If Mania 15 ushered in the high point of the Attitude Era, then Mania 17 was the era's closing act. Absolutely stacked card, with Austin/Rock headlining (again). The buildup to Austin/Rock was amazing and has probably been the best build to a main event since (Taker/HBK this year is probably just as good or better though). Plus, you had the excitement of Shane McMahon v Vince McMahon with the added bonus of knowing that WCW had just been purchased by the WWF. Another stellar undercard highlighted by a great TLC match doesn't hurt either.

Wrestlemania 23
Before I thought about this question, I didn't think I'd ever put any of the Manias from 21-25 in the top 5. At first thought, I probably would have gone with Wrestlemania 4,5,14,18, or 20 in this spot, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how good Mania 23 was. It had a tremendously good card, with the only real blotches being the Great Khali/Kane match and the Divas match. Added to this, all three main event matches delivered the goods. Undertaker v Batista for the World Heavyweight Title sorta gets looked over for some reason, despite being a great match between the two (probably the best they had together, even over their Hell in a Cell match). The "Battle of the Billionaires" with Lashley w/Trump v Umaga w/McMahon was pretty good too. On top of all this, the main event was damn good. HBK and Cena really stepped it up and put on a "Wrestlemania worthy" main event.

03-02-2010, 05:53 PM	#8
redoneja Posts: 5,629	Wrestlemania 3 To me, this is really where Wrestlemania became "Wrestlemania". This was the first Wrestlemania to be held in a stadium instead of an arena and had probably the biggest matchup of the 1980's as the main event. Sure, Wrestlemania I was the 'first' event and was groundbreaking but I feel Mania 3 really solidified what Wrestlemania is. Wrestlemania 6 On here because of the size and scope of the event, as well as the main event. Hulk Hogan v The Ultimate Warrior is probably the biggest main event in Wrestlemania history, even bigger than Hulk v Andre and Steve Austin v The Rock at Mania 17. Hogan was still the most over face in the WWF, six years after winning his first title. The Ultimate Warrior was just as over as Hulk Hogan and had been red hot since debuting in 1988. Not only were they the most over wrestlers in the company, but they were the most protected. Nobody cleanly went over Hogan or the Warrior. If they lost, it was countout, DQ, or due to interference. Add to that the fact they were both babyfaces, and had never wrestled each other before. Remember, this was in an era where the main event workers didn't work with each other every 6 months. Add to all of this a solid undercard, and you've got yourself a top 5 Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania 15 Kinda hard not to put this Wrestlemania on the list when it occurred at the height of the last boom period (Attitude Era, obviously). Buildup for the Austin/Rock main event began at Survivor Series, 4-5 months before Mania. Nowadays we're lucky if a main event gets 4-5 weeks of build. Also, the undercard was tremendous. You had the X-Pac/Shane McMahon and HHH/Kane matches representing the DX/Corporation feud, two solid matches for the Hardcore and IC titles, among others. Wrestlemania 17 This was the first Mania to return to a stadium since Wrestlemania 8. And I think it really recaptured the "feel" of Wrestlemania. If Mania 15 ushered in the high point of the Attitude Era, then Mania 17 was the era's closing act. Absolutely stacked card, with Austin/Rock headlining (again). The buildup to Austin/Rock was amazing and has probably been the best build to a main event since (Taker/HBK this year is probably just as good or better though). Plus, you had the excitement of Shane McMahon v Vince McMahon with the added bonus of knowing that WCW had just been purchased by the WWF. Another stellar undercard highlighted by a great TLC match doesn't hurt either. Wrestlemania 23 Before I thought about this question, I didn't think I'd ever put any of the Manias from 21-25 in the top 5. At first thought, I probably would have gone with Wrestlemania 4,5,14,18, or 20 in this spot, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how good Mania 23 was. It had a tremendously good card, with the only real blotches being the Great Khali/Kane match and the Divas match. Added to this, all three main event matches delivered the goods. Undertaker v Batista for the World Heavyweight Title sorta gets looked over for some reason, despite being a great match between the two (probably the best they had together, even over their Hell in a Cell match). The "Battle of the Billionaires" with Lashley w/Trump v Umaga w/McMahon was pretty good too. On top of all this, the main event was damn good. HBK and Cena really stepped it up and put on a "Wrestlemania worthy" main event.