The ESSENTIALS: The 10 Greatest Superstars of Wrestlemania

 

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  With Wrestlemania just 7 days away, I can't think of any list more appropriate.  In the past couple of months, I've been watching tape after tape of classic Wrestlemania matches and moments to get myself pumped up for what could go down as the biggest Wrestlemania of all time. 

Wrestlemania is where dreams are made.  It's the event every professional wrestler wants to be a part of and hopefully, leave his/her mark at the grandest stage of them all.  However, only so few truly come to epitomize what Wrestlemania is all about.  So who are these icons of the sport? 

Find out after the jump!

Honorable Mention: Kurt Angle

Wrestlemania Record: 3-5

Total Main Events: 3

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XXI: Vs. Shawn Michaels

Kurt Angle's legacy at Wrestlemania is remarkable considering the fact that he was only with the company for roughly 7 years.  He has competed in many of the most technically sound matches in the event's history (vs. Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit) and his match with Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 21 is especially memorable.  No other competitor in WWE history was as consistently brilliant on the mat as Angle was and at Wrestlemania, Kurt would always add a realistic, competitive feel to his matches.  That's why it's a crying shame that Kurt left the company in 2006.  Had he not, it's arguable that he would have been in the top five.

Number 10: Edge

Wrestlemania Record: 6-4

Total Main Events: 4

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XXII: Vs. Mick Foley

After Shawn Michaels, Edge is the only wrestler worthy of the "Mr. Wrestlemania" moniker.  He won the first ever Money In The Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania 21, proved he was a credible main eventer win his classic battle with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 24, and left us with iconic moments we will never forget such as his unforgettable spears to Jeff Hardy at Wrestlemania 17 and Mick Foley at Wrestlemania 22.  Edge would later retire on top, defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio at Wrestlemania 27, cementing his legacy as one of the event's true icons.

 

Number 9: The Rock

Wrestlemania Record: 4-4

Total Main Events: 5

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XVIII: Vs. Hulk Hogan

I know I'm going to catch some flack for ranking the great one so low, but hear me out.  Sure, The Rock has competed in some of the biggest matches of all time, but he has been the common denominator in most of them.  His matches with Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan alone, would earn him a spot on anybody's list, but those two men are the biggest icons in the history of the sport.  Still, The Rock deserves just as much credit as they do, being that he's been involved in more mega-hyped "Icon vs. Icon" matches (like his upcoming one against John Cena) than anyone else in the history of the business.  The fact that he was also the first man to guest host the event, only adds to his legacy.

Number 8: Triple H

Wrestlemania Record: 7-8

Total Main Events: 9

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XXVII: Vs. The Undertaker

Since 2000, Triple H has become the most reliable superstar in the WWE when it comes to Wrestlemania.  He has main evented 9 out of his 15 appearances and there is no one on the current roster better at building a Mania storyline like The Game.  His matches always seem important and 8 times out of 10, they are one of the best matches of the night.  Many naysayers will say his dominant run is due to his political stroke and selfishness, but I beg to differ.  Just ask Dave Batista, Randy Orton, Chris Benoit and John Cena.  These four men all had career-defining victories over HHH at the show of shows.  So before you knock him for hogging the spotlight, take note of how willing he is to give it to someone else.

Number 7: Bret Hart

Wrestlemania Record: 8-6

Total Main Events: 5

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XIII: Vs. Steve Austin

The Hitman's bloody war with Steve Austin is arguably, the greatest wrestlemania match of all time.  It was in that match that we witnessed the most infamous double-turn in WWE history.  Credit should go to Hart for his willingness to put his ego aside to pass the torch to the white-hot Stone Cold Steve Austin.  Come to think of it, Bret Hart's selflessness was often on display at Wrestlemania.  Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart are two of many men who owe Bret for giving them the biggest wins of their careers.  It's also worth noting that Bret holds the record for the most consecutive Wrestlemania appearances with 12. 

Number 6: Randy Savage

Wrestlemania Record: 7-4

Total Main Events: 3

Standout Match: Wrestlemania III: Vs. Ricky Steamboat

Savage wrote the book on delivering exciting and memorable matches at Wrestlemania.  In an era that saw several larger men dominate the upper card, it was Savage who was consistently having the best match of the night.  It's easy to praise his performance against Ricky Steamboat  (often credited as the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time), but I find his classic match with The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII particularly impressive.  It's this match that truly shows Savage's overall value, culminating with a very memorable moment with his post match reunion with Miss Elizabeth.  Add in his epic clashes with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair and you've got one of the more impressive Wrestlemania resumes known to man.

Number 5: John Cena

Wrestlemania Record: 6-2

Total Main Events: 7

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XXIII: Vs. Shawn Michaels

John Cena has main evented the last 7 Wrestlemanias, usually coming out the victor.  He has earned high profile victories over legends like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Batista, The Big Show, JBL and Edge.  He is the modern day Hulk Hogan and his significance to the show of shows is currently unparalleled.  I shudder to think what the WWE will do the day Cena decides to hang up his boots.....I mean...um....sneakers for good.  All jokes aside, whether you like it or not, when it comes to main event matches at Wrestlemania, Cena is on track to go down in history as quite possibly the most successful competitor of all time.  Still, to get there, he'll have to go through The Rock.

Number 4: Stone Cold Steve Austin

Wrestlemania Record: 5-2

Total Main Events: 5

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XVII: Vs. The Rock

Perhaps no other superstar in WWE history has delivered more noteworthy moments at Wrestlemania than Stone Cold Steve Austin.  From his mini-feud with Mike Tyson, to his refusal to give up against Bret Hart.  Oh, and how could we forget his unforgettable trilogy against The Rock.  Stone Cold has broken every possible record and stands tall as the cornerstone of the WWE's most memorable era.  In my opinion, his match with The Rock at Wrestlemania 17, is the most significant match in Steve's career.  There was so much symbolism and hype surrounding it and over the years it has aged like a fine wine.  Sure, his match with Shawn kicked off the attitude era, but this match waved it goodbye.  Yeah I know the smarks will say that the match with Bret Hart is better, and it is, but this match was bigger. In fact I can't think of any other match since 1990 that was built as well as that one was.  Hell, you could throw Stone Cold in there with Hornswoggle and he would draw money.  And there's only one more man more important to Wrestlemania's survival than Austin was.

And that man is...

Number 3: Hulk Hogan

Wrestlemania Record: 8-3-1

Total Main Events: 11

Standout Match: Wrestlemania III: Vs. Andre The Giant

If you don't understand The Hulkster's value to Wrestlemania, then you must be pretty dense.  So let me do you a favor and make this very simple.  Hulk Hogan MADE Wrestlemania!  Without Hogan, it's safe to say that we would not even have anything to do next Sunday night.  It makes me laugh when jaded fans knock Hogan for his refusal to step out of the spotlight when he was the main reason for the event's success during it's infancy.  I don't condone Hogan's actions whatsoever, but one should NEVER challenge the unstoppable juggernaut that is Hulkamania.  As if his star power were not enough to justify his inclusion, Hogan has also participated in many epic battles that would go on to define what Wrestlemania is all about.  His matches with Andre, The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper and more recently The Rock and Vince McMahon, all epitomize the spectacle and lore that Wrestlemania is now known for.

Number 2: Shawn Michaels

Wrestlemania Record: 6-11

Total Main Events: 7

Standout Match: Too many to list

It's amazing how poor Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania record is.  You wouldn't have known it, given his spectacular performances at the event.  Shawn has earned the moniker "Mr. Wrestlemania" for his stellar ability to steal the show at almost every Wrestlemania he was involved in.  You want an example? Take your pick!  How about his unbelievable Ladder match with Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania 10?  Or his hour long work of art against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 12?  Or even his career ending match against Ric Flair at Wrestlemania 24?  Do I even need to mention his two part saga against a certain undefeated phenom?  Shawn has a streak of brilliant matches at Wrestlemania that will never be touched.  It's safe to say that anyone who has had the privilege of facing HBK at the show of shows, had one of if not THE best match of their career against him.  Sometimes winning isn't everything and in Shawn's case, it's nothing at all.

And who is the most ESSENTIAL Wrestlemania competitor of all time?

Number 1: The Undertaker

Wrestlemania Record: 19-0

Total Main Events: 8

Standout Match: Wrestlemania XXV: Vs. Shawn Michaels

The Undertaker is undeniably, the most polarizing figure in the history of Wrestlemania.  He casts a shadow so large that it eclipses the impact of every other superstar on this list combined.  Plain and simple, it's HIS show.  While Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena have all dominated the event in their respective eras, it's the phenom who survived each of them undefeated.  He was there when Ric Flair and Randy Savage fought over the love of Miss Elizabeth.  He was there when Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels clashed for over an hour.  There for all three matches between Stone Cold and The Rock.  Looking at it from this perspective and then adding in the fact that he still claims a new soul every year, and it's hard to argue The Undertaker may quite possibly be the greatest attraction the WWE has ever seen.  Recently, with his brilliant matches against Shawn Michaels, Triple H and others, his streak has become the cornerstone of Wrestlemania.  "The Streak" itself is bigger than Mania, bigger than the WWE and even bigger than pro wrestling as a whole.  No other performer will ever achieve anything remotely close to what The Undertaker has done in his 20 plus year odyssey and that is why he is the most ESSENTIAL superstar in the history of Wrestlemania.