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WrestleMania is 'The Grandest Stage of Them All' and the greatest spectacle in sports entertainment. Given the appeal and magnitude of the premium live event, WWE Superstars and the entire team bring out their best during the extravaganza.
Particular emphasis is laid on the entrances, especially of the top Superstars on the card. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, The Undertaker, and others are renowned for making grand and awe-inspiring entries at the Show of Shows.
Mania has been around for four decades. Thus, it is impossible to list and dissect all the spectacular entrances fans have witnessed over the last 40 years. Here are a few honorable mentions:
- Charlotte Flair arrives in a helicopter (WrestleMania 35)
- John Cena drives a Ford Mustang into The Ford Field (WrestleMania 23)
- Rey Mysterio pays homage to Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 39)
- Edge ascends from the depths of hell (WrestleMania 38)
- The Undertaker returns as The Deadman (WrestleMania 20)
We are now heading onto the gist of the listicle, where we list and analyze the best entrances at sports entertainment's greatest spectacle.
Disclaimer: This list is far from exhaustive and solely represents the author's views alone.
#7. Shawn Michaels descends from the heavens to face The Demon of Death Valley
The silver jubilee of WrestleMania will be renowned for The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, widely considered to be the greatest match in Mania's esteemed history. While it is more revered for the storytelling and in-ring action, the entrances, especially Michaels', set the tone for the masterpiece.
The 58-year-old Hall of Famer descended from the heavens, depicting himself as an angel, with heavenly background music. As Shawn Michaels set foot on the platform, smoke covered the stage, allowing the legend sufficient time to transition into The Heartbreak Kid. HBK then proceeded with his standard entrance.
The beauty of Michaels' entry is the stark contrast it created with The Undertaker's character. The Phenom had a mystical and dark character that centered around "taking souls and digging holes." HBK emerged as the exact opposite: an angelic soul hell-bent on obliterating The Devil's spirit.
His entrance set the stage for the classic that followed as Michaels and Taker stunned the crowd with a show-stealing performance that redefined excellence.
#6. 'Prison Dom' enters WrestleMania 39 in the most despicable way possible
Dominik Mysterio has grown out of his father's shadow and become one of the top heels on the main roster. The Modern-Day Eddie Guerrero's transformation was apparent at last year's Showcase of the Immortals, where he faced Rey Mysterio in the biggest match of his young career.
They may choose to boo him for good reason, but almost everyone was surprised and taken aback by Dom's stellar entrance, which upstaged his father's memorable tribute to Eddie Guerrero. 'Prison Dom' arrived in a police van, and the handcuffed Mysterio was escorted to the ring by an army of officers.
Rhea Ripley's "Dom Dom" had served "hard time" in prison because his father had him arrested during the Holiday season. The entrance was a throwback to this element in the well-executed father-son saga.
It should also be noted that Dom wore a mask to the ring, not as a tribute to his Mexican heritage, but as an insult to his father and all the luchadors. This was stellar character work at its peak, and a creative prelude to the beating The Master of the 619 was about to dish on his treacherous son.
#5. The New Day pops out of a giant cereal box at WrestleMania 32
The 32nd edition of the Show of Shows is a largely forgotten show owing to the lack of star power, the quality of the matches, and questionable booking decisions. Yet, the WWE Universe often loses sight of one of the most creative yet simple Mania entrances of all time.
The New Day was set to take on The League of Nations in a standard 6-man Tag Team Match. Since this was an undercard bout, expectations were low, and excitement was lackluster.
Yet, The New Day had the entire wrestling world on its feet with their amazing entry to the ring. Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods popped out of a giant "Booty-Os" cereal box. The trio didn't emerge from the massive carton, but the camera cut to an angle that made it appear as such.
The New Day's gimmick revolved around the cereal box, and their entrance was an innovative way to touch upon their characters and boost their popularity and merchandise sales.
#4. Triple H shows the world that he is "The King of Kings"
Triple H is a figure famous for making spectacular entrances at WrestleMania. Whether it's Motorhead singing The Game's iconic theme song or riding a thematic bike to the ring, Hunter knows how to arrive in style.
However, as ranked by WWE, the Hall of Famer's entrance at WrestleMania 30 is, by far, his greatest at the Show of Shows. HHH brought back his iconic "The King of Kings" gimmick as he sat on a throne beside three masked beautiful female assistants dressed in royal attire.
The assistants were later revealed to be Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and Sasha Banks. They helped him get ready, removing the cloak and the shoulder blades. However, The Cerebral Assasin himself removed the skull scepter as his iconic "Time to Play The Game" theme song hit.
Hunter walked down the ramp as Flair, Bliss, and Banks lit the way. The theatrical display was a clever symbolic representation of Triple H as "The King of Kings"- the so-called triumphant "emperor" of pro wrestling that has put down countless enemies.
#3. John Cena runs down a ramp lined with his "clones" at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania.
John Cena is not far behind the likes of Triple H and The Undertaker in making spectacular WrestleMania entrances, as evident by his memorable entry at the PLE's silver jubilee.
World Heavyweight Champion Edge and Big Show were in the ring, and like everyone in the crowd, they were expecting a standard John Cena entrance. The world couldn't have been more wrong as an army of Cena clones walked down to his "Word Life" theme song.
The clones lined the ramp on both sides and led a fireworks display. As they did Cena's iconic hand gesture, The Champ walked out to his traditional theme song and raced to the ring in one of the most exciting entrances of all time that had the commentators oozing with excitement.
#2. The Undertaker emerges from the darkness walking through the dead at WrestleMania 29
If the slow walk to the ring, accompanied by the iconic eye-rolls to the back of the head, wasn't enough, The Undertaker usually upped his entrances for Mania, a yard he ruled for three decades.
However, The Phenom's grand entry at WrestleMania 29 was enthralling. Donning black gear with spikes, Taker rose from the depths of darkness and despair as a sea of fallen souls, a representation of all the victims he had defeated, attempted to drag him down by reaching for him.
The audience was naturally captivated by this creative masterpiece. Taker had already vanquished countless souls, and reminding his opponent, CM Punk, of his dominance was a clever maneuver that turned the tide in his favor.
#1. Shawn Michaels leaves everyone amazed with a spectacular entrance at WrestleMania 12
Mr. WrestleMania has already made this list, but as often is the case with Shawn Michaels, that was just the tip of the iceberg! Michaels made what is widely considered the greatest entry in the history of WWE.
HBK was set to face off against Bret Hart in a 60-minute Iron Man match for the top prize in sports entertainment. This marathon was going to require some serious effort, mental fortitude, and courage. Fortunately, he showed he was ready for the occasion with his awe-inspiring entrance.
The Hall of Famer used a zipline to glide into the ring from the ceiling, approximately 100 feet above the ground. His entrance was bold, courageous, gutsy, and charismatic- all the attributes a top star of his time should have possessed.
Logan Paul replicated the same, but it wasn't nearly as memorable as The Showstopper had set the bar too high.
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