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Who is WWE’s Modern Day 'Mr. WrestleMania?'

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Shiraz Aslam | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 9:44 AM ET

It is every WWE Superstar’s dream to compete at WWE WrestleMania, but there are a few elusive generational stars who end up defining Mania. The Undertaker’s undefeated streak and string of classic matches were consistent highlights of Mania. Nonetheless, even during his prime, Taker was never called “Mr. WrestleMania,” as that distinction went to one of his greatest rivals: Shawn Michaels.

HBK is widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and he brought his A game to Mania. From his iconic “Iron Man” match with Bret Hart to his generational classics with the Undertaker, Mr. WrestleMania always stole the show under the bright lights. Razor Ramon, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, and Ric Flair all had epic bouts with HBK.

However, all good things must come to an end. HBK’s iconic career came to a fitting end at WrestleMania after one last classic with Taker. His retirement left a massive void on the card. Fortunately, WWE has an immensely talented roster, and many have stepped up to fill the role of “Mr. WrestleMania.”

#3. AJ Styles Had Some Decent Matches at WrestleMania

Shawn Michaels may have been the greatest in-ring performer of his generation, and the same can be said about AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One could have a good match with a broomstick. However, he made his WWE debut at 38 in 2016.

Consequently, we never saw much of Styles in his prime at The Grandest Stage of Them All. The future WWE Hall of Famer had an all-star list of opponents at Mania. In his debut at the Show of Shows, Styles battled Chris Jericho in an underrated match. The Phenomenal One lost, but he had a great bout with Y2J.

The following year, Styles had what is popularly considered his greatest WrestleMania match with Shane McMahon. This was the ultimate trainwreck, and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed the action. In an otherwise underwhelming Mania, this was the match of the night.

At WrestleMania 34, Styles battled Shinsuke Nakamura in an epic dream match. However, expectations were too high, and the two veterans wrestled a decent match that fell short of expectations. It wasn’t an average encounter, but it failed to set the world on fire.

This would become a familiar picture. While Styles never had a bad match at Mania, many of his matches failed to reach the next level. Randy Orton and Edge were other dream opponents he faced, but none of those matches produced magic. Despite criticisms of many of his outings at Mania, the Phenomenal One had a tremendous cinematic Boneyard match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36, which served as Taker’s farewell.

For someone of the caliber of AJ Styles, he should have had more generational classics. Unfortunately, Father Time and ridiculously high expectations often had an important say.

#2. Kevin Owens Has Also Been a Consistent Show Stealer at WrestleMania

Although his future is pretty uncertain, Kevin Owens still has plenty of memories at WrestleMania. KO walked into his first Mania as the Intercontinental Champion and defended the belt in a chaotic Ladder match. There was carnage all over the ringside as seven of WWE’s brightest talents put their body on the line to steal the show.

The following year at WrestleMania 33, Owens won the United States Championship from Chris Jericho in another strong match. At WrestleMania 34, KO teamed up with his longtime best friend, Sami Zayn, in a losing effort against Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. Although the focus was on Bryan, it was still a good match.

Two years later, at WrestleMania 36, KO had a show-stealing performance in a No Disqualification match against Seth “Freakin” Rollins. The lack of a crowd hurt the quality of the match, but it was still a fun match. Nonetheless, his most memorable outing at Mania came in the main event of WrestleMania 38: Night One.

Stone Cold Steve Austin came out of retirement for one night for a No Holds Barred match with KO. This was more entertaining than it had any right to be and provided a feel-good moment for the packed crowd. The Prizefighter would main event the first night of Mania yet again at SoFi Stadium in 2023.

In an epic, 5-star Tag Team match, KO teamed up with Zayn to end The Usos’ record-setting Tag Title run. The victory set off a chain of events that would lead to the demise of the OG Bloodline. The Prizefighter has had several classics at The Show of Shows, making a strong case as the new version of Mr. WrestleMania.

#1. Seth “Freakin” Rollins Might be the New “Mr. WrestleMania”

It was nearly impossible to fill the void left by Shawn Michaels’ departure, but Seth “Freakin” Rollins has come close. Rollins’ epic string of WrestleMania classics began soon after the Shield’s breakup when he battled Randy Orton at Mania 31.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins at Mania 31 lives rent-free in everyone’s mind because of one of the greatest RKOs in WWE history. However, Rollins’ night didn’t end there, as he pulled off the “Heist of the Century” in the main event by winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

At WrestleMania 33, Rollins would face his former mentor, Triple H, in a Street Fight. Truth be told, fans don’t remember this match fondly, but this was one of HHH’s last great singles matches. The Visionary’s hot streak continued as he won the Intercontinental Title in a thrilling Triple Threat at WrestleMania 34.

The following year, Rollins became the “Beast Slayer” when he defeated Brock Lesnar to win the Universal Championship in a short title bout. At WrestleMania 36, Monday Night Rollins lost to Kevin Owens, but it was still a pretty good match. When fans returned at WrestleMania 37, the Visionary put on a clinic with Cesaro.

Heading into WrestleMania 38, Rollins had no idea who he was facing. His opponent turned out to be the returning Cody Rhodes, and they wrestled the match of the night. Logan Paul was Rollins’ opponent at SoFi Stadium, and once again, the Visionary stole the show.

However, Rollins’ hot streak was not over as the Visionary was the MVP of WrestleMania 40. He pulled double duty. First, he teamed up with Cody Rhodes in a losing effort against The Rock and Roman Reigns. Nonetheless, his ultimate sacrifice came the following night.

The Visionary first lost the World Heavyweight Title to Drew McIntyre in an underrated clash that couldn’t have been better considering the state of Rollins’ knee. But his night wasn’t over as he interfered in the main event to sacrifice himself for Cody Rhodes.

If his legendary performance at WrestleMania 40 wasn’t enough, Rollins shocked the world during the epic Triple Threat main event featuring Roman Reigns and CM Punk. The Visionary aligned himself with Paul Heyman and founded the Vision. Thus, when it comes to having great matches and making WrestleMania moments, few are as great as Seth Rollins.