History Awesome / WrestleMania

* The Intercontinental Triple Threat between Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre, Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}, and Gunther was less of a wrestling match, more of a brutal European pub brawl in the best possible way, as all three lads took turns battering each others' chests and delivering chops and blows that resonated throughout [=SoFi=] Stadium, pumping the crowd from beginning to end.

* Snoop Dogg gets an unexpected one in Day 2. After Shane [=McMahon=] injured his knee, Snoop saves Shane's fight against the Miz by attacking and giving a People's Elbow.

* The Tag Team Turmoil Showcase Match in Night one blew everyone's expectations out of the water. What was expected to be a filler match grabbed everyone's attention and gave each tag team time to shine at the showcase of the immortals. The highlight of the match was after ''everyone'' was basically stacked on top of another, Ricochet cross-bodies them and all eight men fall onto the mat like a house of cards.
* Rey vs Dominik was an action packed Father vs Son match starting with their entrances. First, Dominik arrives in a prison van with police guards. The door to the van opens and out pops Dominik in black and purple gear and one of Rey's masks, harkening back to Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio's famous WCW ''Bash at the Beach 1997'' match (when Rey's outfit was based off The Phantom). Rey decides to one-up his son with Snoop Dogg, a low rider and ''Viva la Raza!'' to the crowd. Other moments include Rey taking his belt off to give his son a spanking, the newly-reformed LWO (Latino World Order) and Judgement Day getting involved outside the ring, and even Bad Bunny (who was on Spanish Announcer duty) interfering by stealing the chain Dominik was going to use to attack Rey, giving the father an opening for a 619.

** Kevin Owens now has main evented two consecutive [=WrestleManias=] and has become the 22nd Grandslam Champions with his and Sami's victory over The Usos for the tag team champion.

** The Usos, not only defend the Tag Team championships twice a [=WrestleMania=] under the same reign, but they join their fellow family members Yokozuna, Roman Reigns and The Rock in being the 4th and 5th members of the Anoa'i Family to main event the show as well.

* The Tag Team Turmoil Showcase Match in Night one blew everyone's expectations out of the water. What was expected to be a filler match grabbed everyone's attention and gave each tag team time to shine at the showcase of the immortals.
* Rey vs Dominik was an action packed Father vs Son match starting with their entrances. First, Dominik arrives in a prison van with police guards. The door to the van opens and out pops Dominik in black and purple gear and one of Rey's masks, harkening back to Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio's famous WCW ''Bash at the Beach 1997'' match (when Rey's outfit was based off The Phantom). Rey decides to one-up his son with Snoop Dogg, a low rider and ''Viva la Raza!'' to the crowd. Other moments include Rey taking his belt off to give his son a spanking and even Bad Bunny (who was on Spanish Announcer duty) interfering by stealing the chain Dominik was going to use to attack Rey, giving the father an opening for a 619.

** The ending deserves special mention. Owens suplexes Jey Uso off the top rope, making him open for the pin. However, Owens then notices Sami begging to be tagged and decides to let his friend exact some long overdue payback. After giving Jey three corner Helluva Kicks, and with Owens delivering a Stunner to Jimmy to prevent him from breaking the pin, Sami goes for the cover as Michael Cole gives the call.

** The ending deserves special mention. Owens suplexes Jey Uso off the top rope, making him open for the pin. However, Owens then notices Sami begging to be tagged and decides to let his friend exact some long overdue payback. After giving Jey three corner Helluva Kicks, and with Owens delivering a Stunner to Jimmy to prevent him from breaking the pin, Sami goes for the cover.
--> '''Michael Cole:''' Three’s the one! Cover! ''(Ref counts to three)'' '''The Bloodline be damned!'''

--> '''Michael Cole:''' Three’s the one! Cover! ''(Ref counts to three)'' '''The Bloodline be damned be damned!'''

* Rhea Ripley manages to redeem herself in Night One, by defeating Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women's Championship.

* Wrestling/{{ECW}} got its very own ]][=WrestleMania=]]] Moment at ''[=WrestleMania=] 23'', when ECW "originals" Wrestling/TommyDreamer, Wrestling/{{Sabu}}, [[Wrestling/JimFullington The Sandman]] and Wrestling/RobVanDam defeated The New Breed (Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn) in the only match on the card for the ECW brand.

--> ''"The Undertaker has never lost at [=WrestleMania=]"''

** A meta and retroactive example, Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin giving the Stone Cold Stunner to UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump at ''[=WrestleMania=] 23'' could be considered a CMOA when you realize that he gave a Stunner to ''a future United States President''.

* A meta example, ''[=WrestleMania=] 32'' set a new attendance record, and did so legitimately even before WWE's usual habit of inflating the attendance numbers.

* The Night 1 main event half-hour Boneyard match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/AJStyles blew all expectations by simply being different to the rest of the night. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Filmed in a boneyard]], instead of it being presented like a wrestling match (or even the previous Buried Alive matches in WWE), it was given the cinematic treatment (similar to ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground'' or any of Wrestling/MattHardy's Deletions). Add in a dramatic score (including Music/{{Metallica}} in place of 'Taker's normal theme), blood, a RadialAssKicking against an army of druids, [[SnarkToSnarkCombat a load of snarky dialog]], and of course the return of Taker's [[BadassBiker American Bad Ass]] persona ([[NinjaPirateZombieRobot with the supernatural powers intact this time!]]), this was seen by the fans as massively entertaining. Booker T compared this to watching ''Franchise/FridayThe13th''.

* Wrestling/TheUndertaker vs. Wrestling/BrayWyatt. Bray was absolutely amazing, beating the crap out of Taker, and even mocked the Deadman at one point. But never doubt the Deadman; Undertaker got the pinfall victory, and the crowd ''erupted.'' The highlight has to be Bray going for his crab walk [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IxxZI0PzY3Q only to see Undertaker sit up seconds after]]. Bray's reaction to it is priceless.

* TLC II, the second Tables Ladders and Chairs Match between [[Wrestling/MattHardy the]] [[Wrestling/JeffHardy Hardys]], Wrestling/{{the Dudley|Boys}}s, and Wrestling/{{Edge}} & Wrestling/{{Christian}}; each team got a little help from a third party (Wrestling/{{Lita}}, Wrestling/SpikeDudley, and Wrestling/{{Rhyno}}, respectively), and there were several memorable moments, including the insane ''mid-air Spear'' that Edge delivered to a dangling-from-the-belts Jeff Hardy. It was the highest-rated match of the event, at four and 3/4 stars, by Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter.

* After months in the World Title hunt, and many displays of anger and paranoia, Wrestling/{{Edge}} in the middle of his first main event push, wins the first Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank Ladder match and a World Title opportunity anytime he wants.

* Wrestling/{{Edge}} spearing Wrestling/MickFoley ''off the ring apron and through a flaming table'', capping off what some think is the best Hardcore Match in WWE history.

* Wrestling/{{Edge}} vs Wrestling/TheUndertaker was pretty damn good too. Too bad the crowd was dead for the first half of it.

** Wrestling/JohnCena lifting up over 700 pounds of humanity (Wrestling/BigShow and Wrestling/{{Edge}}) '''on his shoulders'''. Edge, who was on top before the AA was actually executed, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere wisely bailed in advance]] (Big Show was about the combined weight of Edge and Cena).

* Wrestling/{{Edge}} defeating Wrestling/RandyOrton in a Last Man Standing match in his first one on one in 9 years, and in the second longest match in ''[=WrestleMania=]'' history to boot.

* Wrestling/{{Edge}} and Wrestling/{{Christian}} beat Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys and [[Wrestling/MattHardy the]] [[Wrestling/JeffHardy Hardys]] in a triangle ladder match for the Tag Team Championship in a match that will become the genesis for the TLC match a few months later at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam''.

** This match inspired two young fans, both of whom were {{Canad|aEh}}ian, to pursue wrestling careers - Adam Copeland (Wrestling/{{Edge}}, who was in attendance) and Chris Irvine (Wrestling/ChrisJericho). Fellow Canadians William Jason Reso (Wrestling/{{Christian}}, Edge's BFF) and Wrestling/LanceStorm were also in attendance and went on to become pro wrestlers. It doesn't hurt that [=WrestleMania=] VI took place at the then-new [=SkyDome=] (now the Rogers Centre) in UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}}, and this would happen a second time with ''[=WrestleMania=] X8''.

* The main event of Night 1 was history making in of itself as Wrestling/SashaBanks and Bianca Belair became the first black women to main event ''[=WrestleMania=]'' and they definitely did not hold back, putting out all the stops to create an emotional and brutal affair that ended with Bianca completing the journey she started at the Wrestling/RoyalRumble and becoming the [=SmackDown=] Women's Champion to thunderous applause.

* To cap off the story initially set up by their shockingly sudden match at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam'', Bianca Belair finally gets her hands on Wrestling/BeckyLynch in a sustained one-on-one title fight worthy of both women's status in the industry, delivering a hard-hitting and emotional match that saw The EST avenge every humiliation and roadblock she's suffered at the hands of Big Time Becks in order to claim superiority...and the Raw Women's Championship.

* And finally, the [[TwistEnding shocking ending]] of the show's main event, where Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] and teamed up with longtime rival and WWF owner Wrestling/VinceMcMahon to defeat [[Wrestling/dwayneJohnson The Rock]] and win the WWF Championship once again. The match itself got four and a half stars from the WON.

* The Mixed Tag Match between Creator/RondaRousey and Wrestling/KurtAngle vs. Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon. There was a lot of pressure on Rousey for this match, both in- and out-of-{{kayfabe}} due to this being her debut; she needed make a good impression to prove her naysayers wrong and get wrestling fans to buy into all the hype. Well, in this match, Rousey blew even the best expectations out of the water, showing impeccable selling, timing, storytelling, and character. Even her ring work, while clearly green, was smooth, quick, and powerful. She had the entire Superdome eating out of her hand.

** The main event alone is one for the history books, as for the first time ever, the women will close out The Show of Shows. For over 20 minutes, Wrestling/BeckyLynch, Wrestling/CharlotteFlair and Creator/RondaRousey beat the ever living hell out of each other, at one point bringing tables into the mix. Sketchy circumstances behind the ending aside, it did not disappoint as The Man managed to counter Rousey's finisher to pin her and win ''both'' the Raw and [=SmackDown=] Women's Championships, closing the show on a high note.

* Instead of ending with Wrestling/CharlotteFlair vs. Creator/RondaRousey, Night 1 ends with Wrestling/KevinOwens doing [[TalkShowWithFists The KO Show]] with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin where after Owens insults Stone Cold and his home state of UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}, he lays down the impromptu main event: [[CoolVersusAwesome KO vs Stone Cold]], no holds barred. [[HesBack The Rattlesnake accepts]], and wastes no time taking the boots to Owens as the crowd are firmly behind him as if he never left. Despite his age and neck problems, Stone Cold has no problem brawling all around with Owens, even giving and taking suplexes, before ending the night with an epic Stunner and beer bash for old times sake.

''[=WrestleMania=]'' is called "The Showcase of the Immortals" for a reason.

* The fact that the first [=WrestleMania=] was a success, as the event was a massive gamble for Wrestling/VinceMcMahon, definitely counts. In 1985, few homes outside of the East Coast were wired for cable television, and the technology for pay-per-view barely existed; Vince did hedge his bets a little by also airing the event via closed circuit broadcast to venues across the US, but that was also an unproven technology, and one most felt would never work. The fact that Vince was able to go out, bet the farm on a pair of then-niche technologies, and make [=WrestleMania=] such a runaway success that pay-per-view would become the standard for big sporting events (particularly boxing and, later on, MMA) is a [=CMoA=] in and of itself. Ric Flair said it best on the "Top 10 Greatest Wrestlemania Matches Countdown" feature included on the Wrestlemania 20 DVD.
--> ''Ric Flair'': WWE bet the house on a little idea called Wrestlemania *pushes a pile of casino chips onto a blackjack table*. [[{{Understatement}} It all paid off big time.]]

** The Dream Team vs. the British Bulldogs for the WWF Tag-Team Championship

** Also a moment for Andre, who, at the time, was struggling with intense pain due to the disease that caused his gigantism - to the point of having to wear a back brace; in the end, he still chose {{kayfabe}} and his work over his own needs. Vince [=McMahon=] even paid for Andre to have back surgery to alleviate his pain somewhat, just to help him compete in the match.
** While many critics complain that this was not a great match in and of itself, what made this match all the more awesome was how it was promoted and sold, as "irresistable force meeting the immovable object." The storyline that paved the way to the match -- Hogan and Andre were close friends, always having each other's back, until the WWF's powers-that-be unwittingly gave Andre less recognition for an equally impressive accomplishment (being undefeated for 15 years) than Hogan's three years as champion; and then Wrestling/BobbyHeenan somehow managing to convince Andre that he wanted a WWF World Title shot all along, but that Hogan used his friendship to duck the challenge; then on an edition of [[Wrestling/RoddyPiper Piper's Pit]] Andre (flanked by Heenan) demanding a title shot at [=WrestleMania=] III, and Hogan initially refusing because he was so shocked and stunned at Andre's apparent association with their mutual sworn enemy; and then, on a subsequent edition of "Piper's Pit," Hogan -- having had time to absorb the news that Andre was no longer his friend, giving a thunderous "'''''YYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!'''''" to let Andre know he will face him, the title on the line.

* The Macho Man, Wrestling/RandySavage, makes it to the finals of the one-night tournament for the vacated WWE Championship, turning back "The Natural" Butch Reed, [[Wrestling/GregValentine Greg "The Hammer" Valentine]], and Wrestling/TheOneManGang, while his finals opponent, the [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase "Million-Dollar Man" Ted [=DiBiase=]]] has a relatively easier time of it, even getting a bye straight to the finals after Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/AndreTheGiant got double-disqualified. It seems like [=DiBiase=] is going to prove that nice guys finish last, with Virgil and Andre in his corner against Savage, who only has the non-wrestling Elizabeth by his side, but he sends her to the back, and she emerges with none other than HOGAN to even the odds, and Savage not only gets the win, AND the WWE Championship, but he would go on to hold the belt for just over a year before losing it to Hogan at [=WrestleMania=] 5.

* The ''Battle of the Megapowers'' between Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. While the match was somewhat hampered by an unnecessary Work LoveTriangle between Elizabeth, Hogan, and Savage (which actually bothered Savage in real life), the match itself was an electrifying one and easily the best of the Main Events so far. While less iconic than the battle against Andre the Giant at ''[=WrestleMania=] III'' and the Ultimate Warrior vs. Hogan next year, it would be considered by many to be the best match of Hogan's career.

** This match inspired two young fans, both of whom were [[CanadaEh Canadian]], to pursue wrestling careers - Adam Copeland (Wrestling/{{Edge}}, who was in attendance) and Chris Irvine (Wrestling/ChrisJericho). Fellow Canadians William Jason Reso (Wrestling/{{Christian}}, Edge's BFF) and Wrestling/LanceStorm were also in attendance and went on to become pro wrestlers. It doesn't hurt that [=WrestleMania=] VI took place at the then-new [=SkyDome=] (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto, and this would happen a second time with [=WrestleMania=] X8.

* Ms. Elizabeth's return, saving Wrestling/RandySavage from being brutalized by [[Wrestling/SherriMartel Sensational Sherri Martel]]. Also works as a [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] and a bit of a TearJerker, given that Savage has just lost a "Career Ending" Match to The Wrestling/UltimateWarrior (a damn good match in its own right, too).
* Wrestling/TheUndertaker makes his [=WrestleMania=] debut by defeating WWF legend [[Wrestling/JimmySnuka Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka]] in a fairly short match. While no one knew it at the time, it was the start of something big.

* Giant Gonzalez, the tallest pro wrestler in history, is the only victim of the streak that Undertaker didn't have a clean win over; Gonzalez lost by DQ. Despite the terrible costume and sub-par wrestling abilities, Gonzalez was mesmerizing to look at.
* Who do the fans call for when it looks like The Undertaker is down and out for good at the hands of Gonzalez? ''Hulk Hogan'', a fact that Bobby Heenan comments on. It's easy to understand why, too. Hogan was ''known'' for fighting monsters. ''Including'' The Undertaker himself. With Taker seemingly unconscious and Gonzalez refusing to leave the ring, the fans are calling not just on the four-time champion of the world, but one of ''the only men to ever pin the Undertaker's shoulders to the mat.'' It's clear that the fans are hoping that he could drive the monster heel from the ring. Undertaker himself comes back out and does it on his own, but it's pretty incredible that the fans' first hope to see the Undertaker avenged is the man he'd once feuded with...
* Mr. Fuji throwing salt into Bret Hart's eyes, and later accidentally throwing it into Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}'s.
* Hulk Hogan winning the World title for the fifth time.

* The Wrestling/OwenHart vs. Wrestling/BretHart match is often considered the best opening match at a [=WrestleMania=] ever and also proved Owen pretty much was going to be a great world champion one day had fate gone differently. At the very least, it made Owen a main-eventer for the rest of the year and cemented him as one of the top heels in the company for years after.
** Bret also regained the WWF World Championship that night over Yokozuna, which, if you realize all the backstage shenanigans with the title the year before, was a tremendous, vindicating moment for the Hitman.
* Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]] put the Ladder Match on the map with the one they had for the Intercontinental Championship. This match (and their Ladder Match at ''[=SummerSlam=] 1995'') would set the standard for Ladder Matches for years to come. Shawn gets an extra one, as one reviewer put it, "It wasn't Shawn and Razor Ramon having a match with a ladder in the ring; it was Shawn Michaels having a match with a ladder with Razor Ramon in the ring." Also, this was the first match in the company to receive a 5 Star rating from [[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Dave Meltzer]].

* Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin's first [=WrestleMania=] [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments Crowning Moment Of Awesome]] came at the end of his Submission Match with Wrestling/BretHart, when - beaten and bruised, with his face turned into bloody hamburger - he was locked into Bret Hart's signature Sharpshooter. He kicked and crawled and yelled and screamed, but never gave up; instead, he passed out in a pool of his own blood, giving his last bit of energy to try and escape rather than admit defeat. Austin had a lot of really great moments both before and after this, but this was the precise moment that everybody realized that Steve Austin was going to be ''huge''.

** It's also a Crowning Moment for Mike Tyson, who had been appointed the Special Enforcer for this match, due to his role in taking part in history. Tyson famously helped counted the pinfall win for Austin, then later revealing that he was always backing Stone Cold rather than D-Generation X. This would be capped off by Tyson knocking Michaels out when the latter took exception to his support of Austin.
* Wrestling/{{Sable}} and Marc Mero vs. Luna and Wrestling/{{Goldust}} was one of the first good performances of women at [=WrestleMania=], especially when Sable delivers the TKO to Luna.

* Wrestling/KurtAngle, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, and Wrestling/ChrisJericho all make their [=WrestleMania=] debut in a great triple threat match with 2 falls (for Kurt's IC and [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-eu-h.html European]] belts) where SmugSnake Angle lost both titles without ever getting pinned.

* Next was a solid 6-man tag team match that the crowd was hot involving the APA ([[Wrestling/RonSimmons Faarooq]] and [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield Bradshaw]]) and Wrestling/{{Tazz}}, with Jacqueline accompanying, against Right to Censor (Bull Buchanan, The Goodfather and Val Venis competing, with Steven Richards at Ringside) in the latter's last PPV match as a stable. Bradshaw defeated Goodfather with The Clothesline From Hell after a failed Ho Train.
* The Hardcore title match between Wrestling/{{Kane}}, Wrestling/TheBigShow, and Wrestling/{{Raven}}. Kane won with a Diving Leg Drop off of the Entrance Ramp onto Big Show after he'd Chokeslammed the latter off the Stage through a crate of Sound Equipment.
* Next was the European Title match between Wrestling/EddieGuerrero and Wrestling/{{Test}}. Eddie won the Title with the help of his Radicalz buddies Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn.

* TLC II, the second Tables Ladders and Chairs Match between the Hardys, the Dudleys, and Wrestling/{{Edge}} & Wrestling/{{Christian}}; each team got a little help from a third party (Wrestling/{{Lita}}, Spike Dudley, and Wrestling/{{Rhyno}}, respectively), and there were several memorable moments, including the insane ''mid-air Spear'' that Edge delivered to a dangling-from-the-belts Jeff Hardy. It was the highest-rated match of the event, at four and 3/4 stars, by Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter.
-->'''Jim Ross''': OH MY GOD! EDGE WITH A TWENTY-FOOT LADDER, WITH A SPEAR ON JEFF HARDY!

* Wrestling/TheUndertaker vs. Wrestling/TripleH would have been a memorable main event at any normal pay-per-view, but because of ''WM 17'''s Austin/Rock main event, this is one of ''[=WrestleMania's=]'' overlooked gems. Notable because it contains a key commentary line by Wrestling/JimRoss that officially inaugurates The Streak, then at 8 and eventually 9-0[[note]]This had actually been mentioned by Vince [=McMahon=] at [=WrestleMania=] 11 as well, though nobody made a big deal of it then.[[/note]]:

* And finally, the [[TwistEnding shocking ending]] of the show's main event, where Steve Austin [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] and teamed up with longtime rival and WWF owner Vince [=McMahon=] to defeat The Rock and win the WWF Championship once again. The match itself got four and a half stars from the WON.

* The opening. Previous [=WrestleMania=]s would build up the event itself, the main draw card, ect. However this (and [=WrestleMania=] XIX) opened to the theme from ''Film/PearlHarbor'' that had been worked into other CMOA, as Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, Wrestling/DwayneJohnson and other described how momentous an occasion it is, how honored they are to appear in a match there, how much it means to them.
* The Rock's match against [[Wrestling/HulkHogan "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]]. Not only was this a dream match (and one of the last "dream matches" that can truly live up to that billing), but the crowd was so into the match that they ''cheered'' then-heel Hogan and rooted for him to win, something that not even WWE expected to happen, because the audience reaction to the feud wasn't great... until the two men had stepped into the ring and the place was teleported back to the 1980's. Because of this reaction Hogan was quickly moved out of the [=nWo=] and turned face.

** Hogan's hulking up generated a massive pop from the gigantic crowd & even J.R. and Jerry were marking out when Hogan started Hulking up, with the final line in the quote below widely considered the greatest piece of wrestling commentary ever.

--> '''J.R.''': And Hogan scores with a right hand. Hogan sending The Rock for the ride, the end could be near for The Rock at [=WrestleMania=] 18!

* Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr made his [=WrestleMania=] debut dressed in a Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}-themed outfit.
* Wrestling/ShawnMichaels made his [=WrestleMania=] return (with an awesome entrance) in a fantastic match with Chris Jericho.
* Hulk Hogan went up against [=Vince McMahon=] in a Street Fight which saw one of the commentators getting hit with a chair, Vince leg dropping Hogan ''off a twenty-foot ladder,'' and [[Wrestling/RoddyPiper "Rowdy" Roddy Piper]] returning to clock both men with a lead pipe.
* The Rock and Stone Cold faced each other for the third and last time at [=WrestleMania=], in what turned out to be Austin's last match. The awesomeness of this match is elevated even higher with the knowledge that Austin ''nearly died the night before''.

* The WWE Championship match. A month prior at ''Wrestling/{{No Way Out|WWE}}'', Wrestling/EddieGuerrero won the WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar and would face Kurt Angle at [=WrestleMania=] with Kurt often lambasting Eddie in the weeks prior for his former drug and alcohol addictions and felt he didn't deserve to be champ. The match itself was spectacular as the two performers really utilized their mat skills for a truly technical match. Towards the end, Eddie untied one of his boots and then faked a limp. Angle, catching the limp, immediately went for his signature ankle lock. When he grabbed Eddie's boot, it came flying off and Eddie took advantage of the surprise by executing a roll-up on Kurt that won the match.
* The Undertaker returning to WWE and bringing back his "Deadman" gimmick, led by Wrestling/PaulBearer and the druids, to wreak his revenge on Kane. Kane couldn't believe it. "I KILLED YOU! I BURIED YOU ALIVE! YOU ARE NOT REAL!" Also marked the end of his "American Badass" era.
* The show's main event. The story going into [=WrestleMania=] was that Wrestling/ChrisBenoit was in a Triple Threat match with Shawn Michaels and Triple H (the reigning World Heavyweight Champion), and the {{Smark}}s believed that Benoit stood only a small chance of winning. After one of the best ''[=WrestleMania=]'' matches '''ever''', Benoit made Triple H tap cleanly to the Crippler Crossface in the middle of the ring to finally win a world title (in Madison Square Garden on the twentieth anniversary of the Showcase of the Immortals, no less), and then-WWE Champion (and close friend) Eddie Guerrero came out to celebrate with him, and the two friends hugged, in the center of Madison Square Garden, while openly weeping, creating one of the most iconic images in [=WrestleMania=] history. Thanks to the Benoit double-murder suicide and its CanonDiscontinuity, as well as Eddie's death, the image has since become rather [[TearJerker heartbreaking.]]
** To give the above its proper context and explain why the sight of those two men with their title belts is awesome, heartwarming ''and'' tearjerking all at once; for years, Guerrero and Benoit had toiled in WCW only to be regarded as, at best, mid-carders who would never achieve top-level status - this treatment was not from fans, but from WCW brass directly. Yet now, here they were, on the 20th anniversary of [=WrestleMania=], at Madison Square Garden, on top of the mountain. With the fans celebrating every second of it.
* The Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} vs. Brock Lesnar match is rightfully considered terrible. However, two fans had an awesome moment--they showed up dressed as Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage (completely independent of one another, mind you), and spent the entire match cutting promos on each other and mocking the in-ring action in full view of the cameras. They got so much of a positive reaction from the surrounding crowd--even the commentary teams were gawking at them!--that security stepped in to tell them that while they personally thought they were hilarious, Vince [=McMahon=] said to knock it off.
* Wrestling/JimRoss' closing commentary on the event, just before the cameras cut to black, with Chris Benoit holding his newly won title aloft:
--> '''Jim Ross''': ''Ladies and gentlemen, this has been [=WrestleMania=], where it has all begun again! Thank you very much!''

* Shawn Michaels turned in another "Mr. [=WrestleMania=]" performance by taking Kurt Angle to the limit.
* Two of the biggest stars of the next five years of WWE history, Wrestling/{{Batista}} and Wrestling/JohnCena, both won their first world titles on this night (Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Triple H putting an end to the much maligned reign of terror, and Cena won the WWE Championship by dethroning John "Bradshaw" Layfield - who had held the title for nine months, the longest reign for that title in years).
* After months in the World Title hunt, and many displays of anger and paranoia, Edge in the middle of his first main event push, wins the first Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank Ladder match and a World Title opportunity anytime he wants.

* Shawn Michaels facing his boss, Vince [=McMahon=]. Vince had done just about everything to undermine Shawn's born-again pacifist attitude and had gone out of his way to make Shawn look bad on numerous occasions. But on this night, it was a No Disqualification Match that was their final showdown. Shawn winds up beating up ''five'' different hired guns ''at the same time'', humiliates Vince's son Shane in a fashion that can't be described here without setting off SlashFic ''everywhere'', then ''warps'' a chair on Vince's head. Three minutes of solid beating later, Shawn threatens to find an 8-foot (standard-size) ladder so he can leap off the top step and crush Vince. He changes his mind at the last second... and about two minutes later, he's leaping off of a 12-foot ladder onto a prone, semi-conscious, trashcan-over-the-head-wearing Vince, crushing the table beneath him at the same time. Then when paramedics show up, he threatens to attack ''them'' as well should they try to help Vince. Why? Because ''he hasn't pinned Vince yet, so the match isn't over.'' Oh, and Shane has been handcuffed to the ropes at ringside, so he was unable to do anything to stop it. To say this led to a career resurgence for Shawn Michaels would be putting it very lightly.

* Edge spearing Wrestling/MickFoley ''off the ring apron and through a flaming table'', capping off what some think is the best Hardcore Match in WWE history.

* Mickie James defeating Trish Stratus to win her first women's championship in a match that was arguably the best one in [=WrestleMania=] history.
* Rey Mysterio dressed in a beautiful Aztec headdress and then pinning Randy Orton to become World Heavyweight Champion in honor of Eddie Guerrero.

* Wrestling/{{ECW}} got its very own [=WrestleMania=] Moment at ''[=WrestleMania=] 23'', when ECW "originals" Tommy Dreamer, Wrestling/{{Sabu}}, The Sandman and Wrestling/RobVanDam defeated The New Breed (Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn) in the only match on the card for the ECW brand.
* Batista and Undertaker had a good match, mostly notable for setting off the [[SerialEscalation chain of increasingly awesome 'Taker matches that has continued through the present.]]
* The Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga match was okay, but it principally proved once more that Vince [=McMahon=] would do anything for a storyline, this time [[TraumaticHaircut getting shaved bald]]. He's a billionaire and synonymous with the industry, and he's probably in the top 10 (if not number one) in the amount of ridiculous punishment he's taken for the business.

* Both Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair deserve a CMOA for their match, in which Ric Flair would be forced to retire if he lost (which he did [[note]][[TenMinuteRetirement if only for a little while]][[/note]]).

* The Batista vs. Umaga match was slow and plodding. The few fans cheering were Umaga fans. He was clearly happy with that.
* Wrestling/CMPunk being the unlikely winner of the Money in the Bank match, in what must have surely pleased his legions of internet fans that had followed his career from the indy circuit all the way to WWE. Considering he won over a returning Wrestling/ChrisJericho and a pair of up-and-coming heels in Wrestling/JohnMorrison and [=MVP=], it's pretty impressive.
* Edge vs Undertaker was pretty damn good too. Too bad the crowd was dead for the first half of it.

* Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker. Undertaker, who had never defeated Michaels in one-on-one competition, incremented his [=WrestleMania=] undefeated streak to 17-0 by beating Michaels one-on-one in what was easily the best match of the night; it was hard for anyone - especially the live crowd - to care about the two title matches that followed it.

** Wrestling/RickySteamboat coming out at 56 years old and proving he could still go in the Legends vs. Chris Jericho match, some 14 years after he'd suffered a career-ending back injury in his match against [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin "Stunning" Steve Austin]] at ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Clash of the Champions XXVIII'' on August 24, 1994.

** John Cena lifting up over 700 pounds of humanity (The Big Show and Edge) '''on his shoulders'''. Edge, who was on top before the AA was actually executed, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere wisely bailed in advance]] (Big Show was about the combined weight of Edge and Cena).
** Wrestling/KofiKingston's work in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, including ''running up a closed ladder that Wrestling/MarkHenry was holding up''.
** Rey Mysterio's insanely awesome Joker-themed outfit, worn during his squash of JBL to win the Intercontinental Championship.

* Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker II, the first time Undertaker has wrestled the same man at [=WrestleMania=] in consecutive years. As expected, the match stole the whole damn show; not only did they go for nearly a half-hour, they did so with Undertaker having injured his leg and barely able to put weight on it. The match itself was just brilliant, fall after fall, with every major move given the respect it deserves (with kickouts of both the Tombstone and Sweet Chin Music). Shawn's Asai moonsault into a prone Taker on the announcer's table is guaranteed to be one of those [=WrestleMania=] moments. And the finish might have topped Flair/Michaels for heartbreaking: Taker increases his record to 18-0, and (due to agreed-upon stipulations) Shawn's wrestling career was ended.
** One of the best moments was at the end of the match: Michaels has just kicked out of a near-fall from a Tombstone Piledriver. Taker stands over Michaels, and begins to give his signature throat-cut taunt, signaling for another Tombstone... but then he stops midway, and we are treated to the visual of Shawn literally clawing his way back up to his feet by grabbing onto Taker. Both men look at each other, utterly exhausted, and Taker demands, pleads, ''almost begs'' for Shawn to "stay down". Michaels responds by doing the throat-cut himself and '''SLAPPING UNDERTAKER ACROSS THE FACE''' with his last ounce of strength, remaining defiant to his very end (almost like Flair, who - two years earlier - begged Shawn to pull the trigger and take him out). Taker retaliates by grabbing Michaels and executing a ''jumping'' Tombstone - a rather shocking feat considering that Taker's knees are known to be in rather bad shape - to put Shawn down for good.

* Wrestling/JackSwagger becoming Mr. Money in the Bank, despite no one giving him a chance in the match. He would then proceed to blow up the Internet two days later by cashing in the briefcase at the ''[=SmackDown=]'' tapings, becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion in the process.
** Also from the Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Kofi Kingston [[ImprovisedWeapon using both halves of a broken ladder as stilts to try to reach the belt]]. He didn't quite think it through so well, but it was still an amazing visual.
* Bret "The Hitman" Hart, after years of simmering frustration over the Montreal Screwjob, finally gets a chance to get his hands on Vince [=McMahon=] in a no-holds-barred match. After manipulating Vince into accepting the match by feigning a leg injury, Vince tried to pay off the Hart family to back him up, only to find out the hard way that [[ThickerThanWater blood is thicker than water]]. Giving Vince a massive beatdown, then capping it off by making him tap out to the Sharpshooter at [=WrestleMania=], Vince's greatest creation, had to be a massive moment of catharsis for The Hitman. Even more impressive was the fact that, despite being in his sixties, [=McMahon=] went through with the beating, to give the fans what they wanted to see.
* John Cena would further prove himself as a pretty awesome guy after regaining the WWE Championship from [=Batista=]. There happened to be a rather loud and vocal group of anti-Cena smarks in the front row near the ring. Most other wrestlers would simply ignore them, some heels possibly start insulting them for heat, that sort of thing; Cena, however, simply walked up to them, beaming with joy, and ''posed on-camera'' with his regained title alongside them. Like him as a wrestler or not, that is both hilarious and fantastically awesome.

** Starting with [=WresleMania=] 22, John Cena would come out with stylized entrances, such as acting as a Mafia leader ([=WM22=], accompanied by gangsters that included Chicago native [[Wrestling/CMPunk CM Punk]]), or following an army of John Cenas ala {{Music/Eminem}}'s Real Slim Shady live performance ([=WM25=]). This year, however, saw an honorary drill team of the United States Air Force perform a complex drill lasting 90 seconds, with their team commander walking through the very real guns and bayonets thrice. After John Cena came out to a ''massive'' pop, Wrestling/MichaelCole could only give a shocked ''"WOW!"'', before explaining what was just seen.

* While most of the event was very lackluster, one match stood head and shoulders above the rest: Triple H vs. The Undertaker. Specifically, the moment where Triple H tombstoned Undertaker and then recoiled in sheer horror when Undertaker kicked out has to be seen to believed.
* Wrestling/CodyRhodes' impressive victory over Rey Mysterio.
** Rey Mysterio coming out wearing a ComicBook/CaptainAmerica [[CostumePorn costume.]]

* John Cena vs The Rock was expected to be this before it even happened, it was hoped to be as exciting to the fans as Rock/Hogan was at [=WM18=]. In fact the announcement itself was so big that they've announced the main event an entire YEAR before the show! And it didn't seem to disappoint.

* Triple H. The Undertaker. [[GimmickMatches Hell in a Cell]]. Consider the fact that [=WM28=] is in an outdoor venue, therefore marking the first time the Hell in a Cell match has taken place outdoors.

** The match itself delivered on all accounts and ended with 'Taker continuing his legendary streak to 20-and-0. Bonus points for the post-match bit, where Undertaker and Shawn Michaels[[note]]Who was named the special referee for this encounter[[/note]] lift up a battered Triple H and carry him down the ramp, finally ending with the three men sharing an embrace for one hell of a Hell in a Cell match. To top it all off, this match won the 2012 Slammy Award for Match of the Year, decided by fan vote.

* The Big Show ''finally'' gaining a proper ''[=WrestleMania=]'' moment by winning the IC title From Cody Rhodes after years of humiliation and jobbing during the Show of Shows, thus becoming the 12th Grand Slam Champion.
* Even though he didn't win the awesome match against CM Punk, Chris Jericho still managed to get a moment of awesomeness: Countering a Hurricanrana into the Walls Of Jericho!

* CM Punk vs. The Undertaker. Everything about it, starting with Music/LivingColour performing Cult of Personality live.

* [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] gets the winning pin in his tag team match, and leads the entire football stadium full of fans in a deafening "YES!" chant. The camera zooming out from the ring to show the entire arena doing the taunt with Bryan made up for his poor treatment at the previous two [=WrestleMania=]s.

* Much like the first [=WrestleMania=], WM XXX was an experiment on a grand scale; it was the first major live event to be shown on the WWE Network as opposed to traditional [=PPV=], making it available for free to anyone who paid the $10 monthly subscription fee as opposed to the $50-60 to watch the event on terrestrial TV. WWE's previous attempts at streaming its [=PPVs=] had had mixed results, with the [=PPV=] webstream of [=WrestleMania=] XXIX going down for most users less than five minutes after its start time, and the network's servers had not been stress-tested on a level even approaching that of the 700,000 subscribers the Network had at the time. And yet, aside from a few minutes of glitchy audio during the pre-show (before the event proper even started), the broadcast went off ''without a hitch''.
* Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock sharing the ring to open the show and toast each others' legacies. Enough said. The crowd is screaming "This is awesome!" and we're not even having a match yet!
* Triple H made his entrance for the introductory match in a Series/GameOfThrones-ish style, being [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BikzaM61UeA rolled in while sitting on an iron throne accompanied by slave girls, clad in a chainmail coif with crown and skull mask, cape with Iron Cross collar, a skull on a pike, and a warhammer]]. Then he gets his f'n head kicked in by Wrestling/DanielBryan.
** For additional awesome, the girls accompanying Triple H's entrance were the NXT Divas Wrestling/SashaBanks, Wrestling/AlexaBliss, and Wrestling/{{Charlotte}}.

* Wrestling/TheShield beating Wrestling/{{Kane}} and the New Age Outlaws with a double triple powerbomb on the NAO.
* The ending of the Andre the Giant Memorial battle royal, in which Big Show, who was favored to win and even competed wearing a one-strap singlet like that which his kayfabe father wore, was eliminated in the end by Cesaro. Not just eliminated, but ''tossed out'' like he weighed less than a diva (he's ''450 lbs'', btw).
** And Kofi Kingston avoiding elimination by having his feet only touch the steps.
* Mark Crozer and the Rels, wearing New Orleans Voodoo-inspired costumes (Crozer himself in skull facepaint a la Baron Samedi, and his bandmates wearing the masks of medieval plague doctors) performing Bray Wyatt's theme song "Broken Out In Love" live as he made his entrance to face John Cena.
* The Cena/Wyatt match itself was largely a reenactment of the final act of ''Return of the Jedi'', beginning with Bray Wyatt falling to his knees and demanding that Cena strike him down, and continuing throughout the match with Bray taunting Cena to fight dirty and become a monster in order to beat him. In the end, Cena seemingly relents and drags a steel chair into the ring... and uses it to rail Luke Harper and Erick Rowan as they attempt a run-in, before discarding it and beating Bray clean, marking ''the first time'' that Bray Wyatt had been pinned in WWE.
* Brock Lesnar '''[[DefeatingTheUndefeatable conquers the Streak]]''', pinning the Undertaker for the first time in Taker's 22 [=WrestleMania=] appearances. Punctuated by Wrestling/PaulHeyman's BigOMG after the bell.
** And it's an Awesome moment for Heyman, as far as bragging rights are concerned. For as much distaste as Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon has had over the years with him, she and her husband ended the night in failure on all counts. Meanwhile, he guided Brock to one of the most shocking victories in [=WrestleMania=] history (after which he spent the next several weeks rubbing his client's victory in everyone's face).

* Wrestling/AJLee retaining her Divas title in a better-than-expected 14-Diva-match. She'd lose it to the debuting Paige the following night.
* After being attacked by the Authority, being teamed up on by both Randy Orton and Batista, and nearly being carried out on a stretcher, Daniel Bryan would win the main event, ''by making Batista tap out'', to finally win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

* The pre-show opens with a fun 4-way Tag-Team Championship match between Wrestling/TysonKiddAndCesaro, Wrestling/TheUsos, Wrestling/TheNewDay, and Los Matadores, which includes Jimmy Uso and Wrestling/{{Naomi}} doing a double top rope plancha onto all the other teams, and [[Wrestling/NatalyaNeidhart Natalya]] putting El Torito in the Sharpshooter.
* Also on the pre-show is the second Wrestling/AndreTheGiant memorial battle royal. Highlights include [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli Cesaro]] tossing Kane over the top (like last year) and almost tossing Big Show out again; [[Wrestling/DamienSandow Damien Mizdow]] [[TheDogBitesBack eliminating]] Wrestling/TheMiz, and Big Show winning.
* The actual card opens with an awesome IC ladder match. Sick spots included Wrestling/LukeHarper [[https://vine.co/v/OLOvhLWUFe9 powerbombing]] Wrestling/DeanAmbrose to the outside through ladders, and Wrestling/DolphZiggler and [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] headbutting the hell out of each other. Bryan wins, and later celebrates backstage with past champions Pat Patterson (the first IC champ), Wrestling/RoddyPiper, Wrestling/RickySteamboat, Wrestling/RicFlair and Wrestling/BretHart.
* Randy Orton then faced Seth Rollins in a good match with an awesome ending: [[https://vine.co/v/OL1iq2AWAED Curb Stomp into RKO]].
* The Triple H vs. Sting match was a dream match 14 years in the making. After both made awesome entrances, both competitors not only hitting each other with everything, but even their respective factions: Triple H's D-Generation X, as well as Shawn Michaels, and the New World Order backing up Sting. After Triple H won, it looked like it was gonna be one big brawl, but the two end the long rivalry between WWE and WCW on a handshake.
* Less than a year after debuting on the main roster, Wrestling/{{Paige}} (whose mother is in the crowd) wrestles in her first [=WrestleMania=], teaming with Wrestling/AJLee to defeat the Wrestling/BellaTwins. Paige hits a nifty senton to the outside.
* John Cena hands Rusev his first clean defeat. Highlights include Rusev's entrance ''[[TankGoodness on a tank]]'', with the Russian National Anthem playing, and Cena hitting him with a springboard Stunner from the second rope. Props also to Lana for taking a bit of a hit at the final moments of the match.[[note]]Definite YMMV on this one; this was the match that is blamed for delivering a ''massive'' hit to Ruzev's momentum that he never really recovered from in a classic example of Cena bringing out the golden shovel and refusing to put over an up-and-comer yet again.[[/note]]
* Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt. Bray was absolutely amazing, beating the crap out of Taker, and even mocked the Deadman at one point. But never doubt the Deadman; Undertaker got the pinfall victory, and the crowd ''erupted.'' The highlight has to be Bray going for his crab walk [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IxxZI0PzY3Q only to see Undertaker sit up seconds after]]. Bray's reaction to it is priceless.

* The main event involved Brock Lesnar dishing out one hell of a beating to Roman Reigns who takes everything he has to give out from countless trips to "Suplex City", to '''three F-5s''', and Roman's laughing like a madman as if to say "Is that all you got?" Eventually, Roman's HeroicResolve starts to show up as he busts Brock open the hard way, then laying him out with Superman Punches. Then while both men are down, Seth Rollins cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase, thus turning it into a Triple Threat match! After dishing out Curb Stomps to both men, especially after Roman spears Brock as he's about to F-5 Seth. Your winner and new champion, Seth Rollins!
** Must be mentioned that all three looked good here. Brock wasn't pinned, Roman wasn't ruined (many thought it was too soon for him) and still looked strong, and Rollins is the champ. So not only was Seth the first to cash in at [=WrestleMania=], and the first to cash in ''during'' a match, but it was done while making everyone look good. If anything, Seth looked like a coward, but it fits his slimy mastermind role.

* Creator/RondaRousey and The Rock (who had flown in on a red-eye after ''hosting Saturday Night Live the night before'') make fools out of Triple H and Stephanie [=McMahon=] in a CurbStompBattle that must be seen to be believed!
** [[JustForFun/OneOfUs Doing it with a DBZ shirt]] on was a nice touch as well. And not just any shirt, but the one with the infamous '''[[MemeticMutation OVER 9000!!!]]'''

* The Ladder Match for the Intercontinental title. Aside from numerous intense spots (including a bump from [[Wrestling/KevinSteen Kevin Owens]] that looked like he was half-dead in the rungs of a fallen ladder), the ending came out of absolutely nowhere. Wrestling/TheMiz is posted to pull down the belt, only to choose to sit atop the ladder to do so. Up from behind comes '''''Wrestling/ZackRyder'''''[[note]]replacing an injured Neville[[/note]], who shoves Miz off the ladder and scoops up the championship for himself. Zack gets to celebrate a major championship victory after nearly ''four years of neglect from WWE brass'' and celebrate in the ring with his father.
** Just as awesome is the truth about how that shocking ending came about: the other six guys in the match (Wrestling/KevinOwens, Wrestling/SamiZayn, Wrestling/DolphZiggler, Wrestling/TheMiz, [[Wrestling/CodyRhodes Stardust]] and Wrestling/SinCara) all united in agreement that Ryder ''deserved'' his own [=WrestleMania=] moment and pressured the bookers into letting Ryder take the belt and the glory, even if only for one night.[[note]]Miz beat him to take the title off him the next night on RAW aided by his returning wife Maryse, which really just supports the idea that Miz was most likely the original intended winner before plans were changed.[[/note]]

* Wrestling/{{Charlotte}}, Wrestling/SashaBanks (with Raven Felix and Sasha's cousin Music/SnoopDogg performing her theme), and Wrestling/BeckyLynch wrestled an ''excellent'' match for the Women's title (replacing the Divas' title).
** Not to mention Charlotte's robe she wore to the ring was made from pieces of the robe Ric Flair wore to his match against Shawn Michaels.
** And Sasha donning Eddie's Guerrero's ''No Way Out'' [[https://www.instagram.com/p/BDyCb0InOuE/?taken-by=sashabankswwe 2004 WWE Championship colors]] for her gear.
* Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon and Wrestling/TheUndertaker go to war in Hell In A Cell and even with his new MMA training, he can't get Taker to tap out. Shane breaks out Coast to Coast, nothing. Shane pulls out one hell of an AllOrNothing attack [[https://youtu.be/bWI2l4ZbdA4 by climbing to the top of the cage, only to miss Undertaker and crash through the table]]. Even after that, Shane still has the balls to say BringIt, only for Taker to finish him off with the Tombstone. The last moments are of Shane being carried off in a stretcher, his thumbs-up prompting the crowd to applaud him.

* Wrestling/BaronCorbin makes his [=WrestleMania=] debut by winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
* [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] gets surrounded by Wrestling/TheWyattFamily in a middle of a promo, but then a [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound familiar tune starts playing]], and just when everyone thought he was to skip this year's grandest show, [[HesBack John Cena]] makes his return and [[BigDamnHeroes helps The Rock]] take on the Wyatts to a '''massive''' pop.

* Nia Jax appears to have dominated Wrestling/{{Charlotte|Flair}}, Wrestling/{{Bayley}}, and Wrestling/SashaBanks; but the cherry on top here is the three women Jax just dominated earlier teaming up to perform a [[Wrestling/TheShield triple powerbomb]] on Jax, eliminating her in the process.

* The Hardy Boyz making their return and winning the Raw Tag Team Championship. The two of them were also welcomed with DELETE chants.
** Doubles as one for Wrestling/TheNewDay for pulling an incredible BaitAndSwitch. Just as the triple threat ladder match between [[Wrestling/DrewHankinson Luke Gallows]] and Wrestling/KarlAnderson, Wrestling/EnzoAndCass, and [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli Cesaro]] and {{Wrestling/Sheamus}} was about to start, the New Day's music hits, and they walk out onto the stage:
-->'''Big E:''' "Ladies and gentlemen, as your ''[=WrestleMania=]'' hosts, we must inform you that we have just received word...that this ladder match has now become A FATAL FOUR-WAY!"
-->'''Xavier Woods:''' "Which means: There is one more team involved in this match!"
-->'''Kofi Kingston:''' "Now, I wonder who this fourth team...could possibly be?"

-->'''Michael Cole:''' Things are about to be '''BROKEN!''' TEAM XTREME IS BACK!

* Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} and Wrestling/BrockLesnar have their best match with each other yet. It lasted only five minutes, but those five minutes were ''brutal''. Goldberg hit Brock with some damn impressive spears (including one through the barricade), topped off by Brock ''jumping clear over'' the last one, with Brock ultimately putting Goldberg away with ten German suplexes and an [[FinishingMove F5]]. Oh, and did we mention that ''Brock kicked out of the JACKHAMMER?'' Only one other man (Wrestling/HulkHogan) had ''ever'' done that before.[[note]]And that wasn't even supposed to happen; Kevin Nash was supposed to break up the pin attempt, but he missed his cue, forcing Hogan to lift his shoulder.[[/note]]
* Wrestling/{{Naomi}} reclaiming the Smackdown Women's Championship from Wrestling/AlexaBliss after she was forced to vacate the title due to an injury scare, and doing so in her hometown.

* The Undertaker's return. Before Wrestlemania, John Cena called out the Undertaker, wanting a match with him. When it came for that match, it seemed that the Undertaker was a no-show. Cena took on Elias and frustratingly headed back up to the Titantron... until the lights die out. They cut on to focus on the ring, where the 'Taker's hat and coat were now there. Lights die out, lightning strikes the items... and to the haunting tune of his theme, the Undertaker appears and makes his entrance. Challenge accepted and he begins his return 1-0.
** He didn't just accept the challenge, he ''[[CurbStompBattle completely routed]]'' Cena in John's most one-sided defeat since Lesnar annihilated him at [=SummerSlam=] '14.
* The Mixed Tag Match between Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs. Triple H and Stephanie [=McMahon=]. There was a lot of pressure on Rousey for this match, both in- and out-of-kayfabe due to this being her debut; she needed make a good impression to prove her naysayers wrong and get wrestling fans to buy into all the hype. Well, in this match, Rousey blew even the best expectations out of the water, showing impeccable selling, timing, storytelling, and character. Even her ring work, while clearly green, was smooth, quick, and powerful. She had the entire Superdome eating out of her hand.

* Nia Jax ''finally'' winning the Raw Women's Championship and ending Alexa Bliss' title reign. She recruits Wrestling/EmberMoon to team with her on the following night's Raw.
* [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] vs Charlotte. The finish may have been divisive but that doesn't change the fact that, in possibly the biggest women's match ever, ''they delivered''.

** Curt Hawkins ''finally'' snaps his 269-match losing streak by teaming with Wrestling/ZackRyder (his go-to tag buddy from the La Familia days) and defeating Wrestling/TheRevival for the Raw Tag Team Championships.
** Wrestling/SethRollins ''finally'' putting an end to the Universal Championship reign of Wrestling/BrockLesnar despite The Beast attacking The Architect prior to the match starting. And yet Seth did exactly as promised, and slayed the beast in 2:30 - a ''literal'' '''''[[ExactWords Curb. Stomp.]] [[CurbStompBattle Battle]]'''''! This was Lesnar's biggest loss since his Survivor Series squash to Goldberg, and set the bar for what was to come.

** After months of buildup and heartbreaking losses, Wrestling/KofiKingston, for the first time in his 11-year career, captures the WWE Title from [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson "The New" Daniel Bryan]] in a ballistic match that saw a crowd of 82,000 on its feet as Kofi kicked out of a Running Knee while The New Day fended off Rowan. This also marked Kofi being the first ever African-born WWE Champion, and with it becoming a Grand Slam Champion. [=KofiMania=] indeed.
** At one point, Elias is performing for the crowd, and is suddenly interrupted by Wrestling/JohnCena, but not just any Cena: [[HesBack The Doctor of Thuganomics]]! Cena pretty much gives Elias nothing short of a verbal beatdown while mincing no words, ending with him giving Elias not an AA, but an FU (the AA's old name).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this became the first [=WrestleMania=] filmed without a live audience, and while it has been weird to some fans watching WWE's programming in an empty venue for almost a month, it still delivered. ''Big time''.

* The Night 1 main event half-hour Boneyard match between Wrestling/TheUndertaker and Wrestling/AJStyles blew all expectations by simply being different to the rest of the night. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Filmed in a boneyard]], instead of it being presented like a wrestling match (or even the previous Buried Alive matches in WWE), it was given the cinematic treatment (similar to ''Wrestling/LuchaUnderground'' or any of Wrestling/MattHardy's Deletions). Add in a dramatic score (including Music/{{Metallica}} in place of 'Taker's normal theme), blood, a RadialAssKicking against an army of druids, [[SnarkToSnarkCombat a load of snarky dialog]], and of course the return of Taker's [[BadassBiker American Bad Ass]] persona ([[NinjaPirateZombieRobot with the supernatural powers intact this time!]]), this was seen by the fans as massively entertaining. Booker T compared this to watching ''Friday the 13th''.
* And then the second night brought us the Firefly Fun House match between Wrestling/JohnCena ... and John Cena, as Wrestling/BrayWyatt wanted us to think of it. This ended up being a MindScrew series of {{Pensieve Flashback}}s through Cena's career (and even some moments that ''weren't'' part of his career, such as being teleported to ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'' to basically become "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan to Wyatt's Wrestling/EricBischoff), intended to present AnAesop about how he was able to bully his way through his career without having to work for it. Wrestling/DolphZiggler made a tweet comparing it to an episode of ''Series/BlackMirror'' and given how it deconstructs Cena's character at such a visceral level, that's the best way to describe it. The match was so awesome, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter gave it [[BrokeTheRatingScale 6 stars]], surpassing even ''[[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]]''[='=]s best.
* Wrestling/{{Edge}} defeating Wrestling/RandyOrton in a Last Man Standing match in his first one on one in 9 years, and in the second longest match in [=WrestleMania=] history to boot.

* [[Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli Cesaro]] finally getting not only his revenge on Wrestling/SethRollins in a banger of a match, but his first singles win (not counting the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal) in [=WrestleMania=] history and the crowd was fully behind him especially when he hit the UFO and Giant Swings.
* With help from Omos, Wrestling/AJStyles wins the Tag Team Titles, and with it becomes the first and so far only wrestler to be a Grand Slam Champion in both TNA/Impact and WWE.

* The main event of Night 1 was history making in of itself as Wrestling/SashaBanks and Bianca Belair became the first black women to main event [=WrestleMania=] and they definitely did not hold back, putting out all the stops to create an emotional and brutal affair that ended with Bianca completing the journey she started at the Royal Rumble and becoming the Smackdown Women's Champion to thunderous applause.

* Much like Bad Bunny last year, Creator/LoganPaul delivers a surprisingly good performance in his debut match, working the crowd like a natural heel, even using the moves of Wrestling/EddieGuerrero like the Three Amigos and Frog Splash on Eddie's real life friend Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, all while soaking up the heat.

* To cap off the story initially set up by their shockingly sudden match at [=SummerSlam=], Bianca Belair finally gets her hands on Wrestling/BeckyLynch in a sustained one-on-one title fight worthy of both women's status in the industry, delivering a hard-hitting and emotional match that saw The EST avenge every humiliation and roadblock she's suffered at the hands of Big Time Becks in order to claim superiority...and the Raw Women's Championship.
* After weeks of speculation and rumors, who did Mr. [=McMahon=] choose as the opponent for Wrestling/SethRollins? None other than The American Nightmare himself, Wrestling/CodyRhodes, who delivers a banger of a match against Seth.

* Instead of ending with Charlotte vs Ronda Rousey, Night 1 ends with [[Wrestling/KevinSteen Kevin Owens]] doing [[TalkShowWithFists The KO Show]] with Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin where after Owens insults Stone Cold and his home state of Texas, he lays down the impromptu main event: [[CoolVersusAwesome KO vs Stone Cold]], no holds barred. [[HesBack The Rattlesnake accepts]], and wastes no time taking the boots to Owens as the crowd are firmly behind him as if he never left. Despite his age and neck problems, Stone Cold has no problem brawling all around with Owens, even giving and taking suplexes, before ending the night with an epic Stunner and beer bash for old times sake.
* Night 2 opens with a fun triple threat tag-team match between RK-Bro, The Street Profits, and Alpha Academy, as all three teams show amazing chemistry with each other. The big highlight however is Riddle interrupting Montez Ford's attempt at a Frog Splash with an RKO off the top rope (complete with Ford's OhCrap face as he realized what will happen to him upon seeing Riddle beside him!)
* [[Series/{{Jackass}} Johnny Knoxville]] and Wrestling/SamiZayn have a fun match that, despite the inherent ridiculous nature of it, got the crowd pumped, with some of Knoxville's Jackass co-stars getting their own Mania moments, including Wee Man ''body-slamming'' Zayn and the crowd reacting like Hogan slamming Andre! And props to Knoxville for busting out some legit moves including a tornado DDT.
* Pat [=McAfee=] gets his time to shine in his [=WrestleMania=] debut, having an entrance involving Dallas cheerleaders performing to The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" blaring and the crowd chanting along. He also showed off his incredible athleticism including doing a backflip off the top rope then effortlessly jumping ''back to the top rope'' to superplex Austin Theory! [=McAfee=] ended up defeating Theory, then goading Wrestling/VinceMcMahon himself to get into the damn ring and fight him! While Vince and Theory took advantage of this to sucker [=McAfee=] into a trap allowing The Chairman to easily pin him for the run-back W, this bit of chicanery earned the two of them... another Stunner and beer bash from Stone Cold Steve Austin!
** Michael Cole's commentary when Pat does the Superplex deserves a mention as he screams "FOR THE BRAND!" as a rallying cry.

* No recounting of [=WrestleMania=] Crowning Moments would be complete without one of the reasons fans always go and watch it: The Undertaker's winning streak. [[http://www.wwe.com/superstars/smackdown/undertaker/wrestlemanialegacy/ His opponents were generally no slouches, either.]]
** Until [=WrestleMania=] 30, where Brock Lesnar [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable did the unthinkable]] and [[WhamEpisode ended the streak]] at '''21-1'''.
* Shawn Michaels isn't called "Mr. [=WrestleMania=]" for nothing; besides his show-stealing performances already mentioned above, other notable performances include the Ladder Match against Razor Ramon at ''[=WrestleMania=] 10'', his match against Chris Jericho at ''[=WrestleMania=] 19'', and his match against Kurt Angle at ''[=WrestleMania=] 21''.
** Hell, you'd be hard-pressed to find a single ''[=WrestleMania=]'' match of his that wasn't good, going all the way back to his debut at ''[=WrestleMania=] 5'' as part of The Rockers.
** Another factor to add is, even though he's retired, he's still so much a staple of ''[=WrestleMania=]'' that the next year they made him Special Guest Referee of the Undertaker vs Triple H match, and the year after that, they put him in Triple H's corner when he wrestled Brock Lesnar (during which he ate an F-5 and planted his foot in Paul Heyman's face).

* The WWE Championship match. A month prior at ''Wrestling/{{No Way Out|Wrestling}}'', Wrestling/EddieGuerrero won the WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar and would face Kurt Angle at [=WrestleMania=] with Kurt often lambasting Eddie in the weeks prior for his former drug and alcohol addictions and felt he didn't deserve to be champ. The match itself was spectacular as the two performers really utilized their mat skills for a truly technical match. Towards the end, Eddie untied one of his boots and then faked a limp. Angle, catching the limp, immediately went for his signature ankle lock. When he grabbed Eddie's boot, it came flying off and Eddie took advantage of the surprise by executing a roll-up on Kurt that won the match.

** Hogan's hulking up generated a massive pop from the gigantic crowd & even JR and Jerry were marking out when Hogan started Hulking up, with the final line in the quote below widely considered the greatest piece of wrestling commentary ever.

--> '''JR''': And I don't think that The Rock can believe it!

--> '''JR''': Rock can not believe it!

--> '''JR''': '''Oh my God.'''

--> '''JR''': My God The Rock can't believe it!

--> '''JR''': And Hogan scores with a right hand. Hogan sending The Rock for the ride, the end could be near for The Rock at [=WrestleMania=] 18!

--> '''Jerry''': Look out!
--> '''JR''': ''The leg drop! He beat Andre the Giant with that move!''

* Pat [=McAfee=] gets his time to shine, having an entrance involving Dallas cheerleaders performing to The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" blaring and the crowd chanting along. He also showed off his incredible athleticism including doing a backflip off the top rope then effortlessly jumping ''back to the top rope'' to superplex Austin Theory! [=McAfee=] ended up defeating Theory, then goading Wrestling/VinceMcMahon himself to get into the damn ring and fight him! While Vince and Theory took advantage of this to sucker [=McAfee=] into a trap allowing The Chairman to easily pin him for the run-back W, this bit of chicanery earned the two of them... another Stunner and beer bash from Stone Cold Steve Austin!