Best Non-Title WWE WrestleMania Main Events, Ranked

The main event of WrestleMania is the biggest match on the biggest card. It is a spot that has featured multiple Hall of Famers and has been the coveted spot of any wrestler setting foot inside WWE. For the most part, the magnitude of the main event means that a World Championship will be decided. After all, the company’s biggest prize should be the focal point of the Show of Shows.

A World Championship is the ultimate prize, yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s always closing out WrestleMania. Throughout the 42-year history of ‘Mania, there have been matches that have been deemed larger than anything on the card and given the coveted main event spot. Some of them have been great, and others have been less than stellar. Below, we will examine these non-title main events and see how they rank against one another.

10 – Bam Bam Bigelow v Lawrence Taylor (WrestleMania 11)

WWE was struggling in 1995. They had lost all their big stars and were trying to find their way. Men like HBK, Bret Hart, and Diesel were starting to separate themselves from the pack, which is why putting Taylor and Bigelow in the main event was a huge mistake.

Understandably, WWE would want to stack its main event with as much star power as possible, but the match was not very good. Taylor didn’t know how to work, and Bigelow had to walk him through every spot. There was little interest from the crowd, and the final sequence was met with more silence than WWE would have liked. It was not a great end to a lackluster night of wrestling.

9 – Sid Justice v Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 8)

In what was supposed to be Hulk Hogan’s last match in WWE, Hogan was given the main event slot against his former friend Sid Justice. The wrestling world wanted to see Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair finally go to war, but instead, we got Hogan and Justice. A match that no one wanted to see, producing a crowd that was sitting on their hands.

Hulk Hogan was past his prime for this match. He and Sid lumbered around the ring in a traditional Hogan match. Justice got his offense in, and Hulk Hogan made his comeback. That was all wrapped up with a botched DQ finish that ruined any chance of this main event’s success.

8 – The Undertaker v Roman Reigns (WrestleMania 33)

If this match had happened a few years before, the world would have erupted. Unfortunately, The Undertaker had moved past his better years and looked gassed within the first few minutes. He wasn’t in ring shape, and that was needed to anchor the match against the younger Reigns. Roman Reigns was not ready to carry things on his own and looked a little lost.

There were just too many botches to make this a great main event. Neither man shared the chemistry one would expect, and the match quality suffered greatly. The impact of this match would have gone further if Roman Reigns were the man to end The Streak.

7 – The Undertaker v A.J. Styles (WrestleMania 36; Night One)

The pandemic forced WWE to pivot away from a traditional wrestling match to this cinematic contest. From a visual standpoint, this match was stunning. It captured the gothic nature of The Undertaker’s character with strategically placed lights and sound effects.

There was just enough physicality to make the match fun to watch, with Styles and The Undertaker using the set pieces well. We can all remember the famous meme that was created at the end of this match.

As fun and creative as this match was, it was not a fitting end to The Undertaker’s career. The lack of an audience reaction keeps it further down on the list than many would like. It’s not the fault of WWE, but just the reality of the situation.

6 – Kevin Owens v Steve Austin (WrestleMania 38; Night One)

The worst-kept secret in WWE was that the Kevin Owens show was going to turn into Steve Austin getting one last WrestleMania main event. Owens had spent weeks goading Austin into an appearance, and once those words became too much, the Kevin Owens show turned into one last gasp for Stone Cold.

WrestleMania’s night one main event was nothing but a brawl, but it was a very entertaining one. Owens and Austin took their show all over AT& T Stadium, exchanging stiff shots along the way. This was the perfect swan song for a man who never got a true WrestleMania send-off.

5 – The Bloodline v Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 40; Night One)

Cody Rhodes finishing his story was the program that dominated both nights of WrestleMania. In the first, we saw a tag team match of epic proportions. It was loaded with star power as we saw three current stars and one Final Boss battle to see who would control the narrative of the next night’s WWE Championship match.

The drama and story were the driving point of this contest. It wasn’t light on the action, but most of it was drawn out. Which really didn’t matter due to the sheer star power that was present. This match determined everything that mattered in night two of WrestleMania, and it was a great opening salvo to WrestleMania.

4 – Hulk Hogan & Mr. T v Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (WrestleMania)

There couldn’t have been a bigger match to close out the first WrestleMania. WWE loaded the match with its two biggest heels, its biggest babyface, and one of the biggest mainstream stars on the planet. The eyes of the world were watching, and WWE brought out every big gun imaginable. Seeing Muhammad Ali at ringside gave this the big fight feel that WWE wanted.

This was not a great match, wrestling-wise. It was more about the pomp and circumstance than the action going on inside the ring. All four men were natural showmen, and this was on full display as they entertained the heck out of the Madison Square Garden crowd.  There was no other match that could have ushered in the WrestleMania era.

3 – CM Punk v Roman Reigns v Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 41; Night One)

For a non-title match to be the main event at WrestleMania, it needs to contain many things. Big stars, compelling action, and a storyline meant to carry a show. These are all the factors that went into making this triple threat one of the greatest in WrestleMania history.

Featuring three of the biggest stars in WWE, this triple-threat match was fantastic. Going in, we were treated to all the drama that one would associate with a ‘Mania main event. There was a true hatred amongst the three men, and each had their reasons for doing anything possible to make sure their hands were raised in victory.

As the match went on, we had no idea who would be walking away with the victory, and WWE pulled a masterful swerve when Seth Rollins was revealed to be in cahoots with Paul Heyman. It was a perfect ending to a near-perfect match.

2 – John Cena v The Rock (WrestleMania 28)

Before things were ruined with a once-in-a-lifetime match, we were treated to a true clash of icons. John Cena taking on The Rock was a dream match that no one ever expected to see. It was a battle between two men who led their eras with amazing mic work and incredible charisma.