| Year | Match | Location | Comment |
| | | |
| 1985 | Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. defeat Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper (Wrestlemania) | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) | The only tag team match on the list introduced everything we have come to know and love about Wrestlemania main events: celebrity wrestlers (Mr. T in this case), celebrity referee (Muhammad Ali), and a whole lot of of pomp and circumstance. |
| 1986 | Dusty Rhodes defeats Ric Flair (Great American Bash)- Steel Cage Match for NWA World Title Match | Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, NC) | This is the only non-WWE match on the list, as Wrestlemania 2 was so bad that nothing on that card could be properly called a match of the year. Rhodes and Flairs were both legends who had a great rivalry in the 70s and 80s. This tussle in Greensboro was arguably their greatest battle. |
| 1987 | Hulk Hogan defeats Andre the Giant (Wrestlemania III)- WWE Title Match | Pontiac Silverdome (Detroit, MI) | This is the most important match in WWE history as it launched WWF and professional wrestling into a new stratosphere of popularity and acceptance amongst the general public. |
| 1988 | Andre the Giant defeats Hulk Hogan (The Main Event)- WWE Title Match | Market Square Arena (Indianapolis, IN) | A controversial and historic match in which Andre won the only WWE title of his career. The referee plot twist featuring the Hebner twins was epic. |
| 1989 | Hulk Hogan defeats Macho Many Randy Savage (Wrestlemania V)- WWE Title Match | Trump Plaza (Atlantic City, NJ) | A great feud between two superstars and former tag team partners that culminated in this classic battle. Surprisngly enough, this was the first time the WWE title changed hands at a Wrestlemania. |
| 1990 | Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan (Wrestlemania VI)- Intercontental/WWE Title Match | Skydome (Toronto, Canada) | A titanic battle that many consider to be the biggest match ever betwenn two baby faces. The Ultimate Warrior shocked the world by taking the belt from the Hulkster in teh sky dome. |
| 1991 | Bret Hart defeats Mr. Perfect (Summerslam)- Intercontinental Title Match | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) | Hart claims his first singles gold by outlasting Mr. Perfect in this this classic |
| 1992 | The British Bulldog defeats Bret Hart (Summerslam)- Intercontinental Title Match | Wembley Stadium (London, England) | The Bulldog beat his real life brother in law in his home country in what Bret Hart called his greatest match of all-time. |
| 1993 | Bret Hart defeats Bam Bam Bigelow (King of the Ring) | Nutter Center (Fairborn, OH) | The inaugural King of the Ring tourney was won by Bret Hart who wrestled for almost a full hour that night over the course his three tournament matches. This last match against Bam Bam Bigelow featured a classic battle of contrasting styles between Bigelow’s power game and Hart’s artistry and finesse. |
| 1994 | Owen Hart defeats Bret Hart (Wrestlemania X) | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) | This battle of brothers is largely considered one of the best opening matches of any wrestlemania. |
| 1995 | Shawn Michaels defeats Razon Ramon (Summerslam)- Ladder Match for IC Title | Civic Arena (Pittsburgh, PA) | One of the first WWF ladder matches in history was one of the few classic matches to feature two babyfaces facing off against one another. |
| 1996 | Shawn Michaels defeats Bret Hart (Wrestlemania XII)- Iron Man Match for WWE Title | Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA) | One of the longest matches you will ever see went beyond its 60 minute time limit and gave Michaels his first WWE title. Vince made his famous call, “a boyhood dream has been realized” after the match. |
| 1997 | Bret Hart defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin (Wrestlemania 13)- Submission Match | Allstate Arena (Chicago, IL) | The match that really made people acknowledge Austin as a top notch in-ring performer. Austin fighting through the Sharpshooter with his head busted open is still one of the most iconic images in WWE history. |
| 1998 | Undertaker defeats Mankind (King of the Ring)- Hell in a Cell Match | Civic Arena (Pittsburgh, PA) | I watched this one live on PPV and will never forget it. So many crazy stunts, so many good quotes from Jim Ross. As Undertaker told Mick Foley recently, “this match will outlive us both. People will be talking about that match long after we’re gone.” |
| 1999 | Stone Cold defeats the Rock (Wrestlemania XV)- No DQ Match for WWE Title | Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA) | The original battle between Stone Cold and the Rock featured Mankind as a special guest referee and laid the groundwork for their epic rivalry. |
| 2000 | Triple H defeats Cactus Jack (Royal Rumble)- No DQ Match for WWE Title | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) | This great rivalry saw its high point in this gory battle taht featured the use of barbed wife, handcuffs, and thumb tacks |
| 2001 | Stone Cold defeats the Rock (Wrestlemania X-Seven)- No DQ Match for WWE Tile | The Astrodome (Houston, TX) | A rematch of the main event of Wrestlemania XV from two years before that was even better than the first battle. This was the most anticipated battle of baby faces since the Hogan vs. Warrior clash at Wrestlemania VI. |
| 2002 | Hulk Hogan defeats the Rock (Backlash)- WWE Title Match | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, MO | This was the last time Hogan ever won the WWE title and also the last match fought before the WWF became the WWE. |
| 2003 | The Rock defeats Stone Cold (Wrestlemania XIX)- Career Threatening Match | Safeco Field (Seattle, WA) | The farewell match of Stone Cold’s WWE career (other than one return match he fought in Wrestlemania 38) as injuries forced him into early retirement. |
| 2004 | Randy Orton defeats Cactus Jack (Backlash)- No DQ Match for IC Title | Rexall Place (Edmonton, Canada) | Many people consider this Mick Foley’s best ever match. This was a brutal and gory battle between the up and coming star (Orton) and the crafty veteran (Foley) |
| 2005 | Kurt Angle defeats Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 21) | Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA) | Two of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport squared off in an epic war of wills. |
| 2006 | John Cena defeats Edge (Unforgiven)- Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match for WWE Title | Air Canada Centre (Toronto, Canada) | This was a remarkable upset in Edge’s home country in what was Cena’s first-ever TLC match. The finishing sequence in this match was truly incredible as Cena hit an attitude adjustment off a ladder through two tables. |
| 2007 | John Cena defeats Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 23)- WWE Title Match | Ford Field (Detroit, MI) | This was kind of a down year for wrestling as there were not too many all-time classics from 2007. Cena’ However, we have to choose one for this list and we’ll go with the battle between the world tag team champions at the time, Michaels and Cena. Cena’s entrance to the ring in his Ford Mustange was epic. |
| 2008 | Shawn Michaels defeats Ric Flair (Wrestlemania XXIV)- Career Threatening Match | Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL) | We had to get the Nature Boy on this list more than once (see 1986 entry for his first match of the year) and while this wasn’t the best technical fight he ever fought (he was 59 years old at the time), it was his most emotional as Michaels fought through tears to end Flair’s career with a Sweet Chin Music. |
| 2009 | Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 25) | NRG Stadium (Houston, TX) | Undertaker’s unbeaten Wrestlemania streak gets put to test in this epic battle. |
| 2010 | Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania XXVI)- Career Threatening Match | State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ) | This match wasn’t quite as good as the show these two put on the year before but it was still a great match between two of the top 10 greatest wrestlers of all-time that ended Michaels’ wrestling career |
| 2011 | Undertaker defeats Triple H (Wrestlemania XXVII)- No Disqualification Match | Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA) | Another epic match that extended Undertaker’s unbeaten streak at Wrestlemania |
| 2012 | Undertaker defeats Triple H (Wrestlemania XXVIII)- Hell in a Cell Match | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, FL) | The second Hell in a Cell Match on this list wasn’t as good as the Taker and Mankind battle but still served as a great closure to this rivalry. Shawn Michaels serving as the special guest referee was a great added tough as well. |
| 2013 | Daniel Bryan defeats John Cena (Summerslam)- WWE Title Match | Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA) | A great underdog performance by Bryan that gave him his first WWE title. Unfortunately, Randy Orton cashed in his money in the bank moments later so Bryan’s initial tilte reign dind’t last long. |
| 2014 | Brock Lesnar defeats Undertaker (Wrestlemania XXX) | Superdome (New Orleans, LA) | Lesnar ends Undertaker’s 21 match Wrestlemania win streak with this stunning victory that still serves as one of the most shocking results in WWE history. |
| 2015 | Brock Lesnar defeats Seth Rollins and John Cena (Royal Rumble)- Triple Threat Match for WWE World Heavyweight Title | Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA) | One of the best triple threat matches in wrestling history. |
| 2016 | Undertaker defeats Shane McMahon (Wrestlemania 32)- Hell in a Cell Match | AT & T Stadium (Arlington, TX) | Great match highlighted by Shane’s epic leap from the top of the cell through the announcer’s table. |
| 2017 | Brock Lesnar defeats Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe (Summerslam)- Fatal Four Way Match for WWE Universal Title Match | Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY) | Great match that was back and forth and featured Lesnar leaving on a stretcher and then coming back out to retain his title. |
| 2018 | Brock Lesnar defeats Daniel Bryan (Survivor Series)- WWE Title Match | Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA) | Surprisingly, this is the only survivor series match to make the list. This matchup had a turn of twist and turns that culminated with a great finishing sequence. |
| 2019 | Kofi Kingston defeats Daniel Bryan (Wrestlemania 35)- WWE Title Match | Metlife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) | An important moment for WWE as Kingston becomes the first black world champion after 11 years of hard work in the WWE. |
| 2020 | Drew McIntyre defeat Randy Orton (Clash of Champions)- Ambulance Match for WWE Universal Title Match | WWE Thunderdome (Orlando, FL) | A crazy match that featured interference from the Big Show, Christian, and Shawn Michaels |
| 2021 | Edge defeats Seth Rollins (Crown Jewel)- Hell in a Cell Match | Mohammed Abdu Arena (Riyadh, Saudia Arabia) | A lengthy feud culminated in an intense hell in a cell match that included the use of steel chairs, stairs, chians, and ladders. |
| 2022 | Cody Rhodes defeats Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell PPV- Hell in a Cell Match | Allstate Arena (Chicago, IL) | Rhodes overcame a real life torn pectoral injury to put on a epic performance that rose him to superstar status in the WWE. |
| 2023 | Rhea Ripley defeats Charlotte Flair (Wrestlemania 39)- WWE Women’s Title Match | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) | The best women’s match ever fought at a wrestlmania served as a passing of a torch between two great champions. |
| 2024 | Cody Rhodes defeats Roman Reigns (Wrestlemania XL)- No DQ match for WWE title | Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA) | Cody completes his story in epic fashion. The Undertaker’s surprise arrival also served as one of the greatest “pops” in wrestling history. |
| 2025 | Cody Rhodes defeats John Cena (Summerslam)- No DQ match for WWE title | Metlife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) | The last great match of Cena’s career culminates with the surprising return of Brock Lesnar. |
Ramblings of the Ultimate Sports Sentimentalist 