WWE WrestleMania: 5 great Attitude Era WrestleMania matches you may have forgotten

WrestleMania 18 in Toronto was one of the last events of the WWE’s Attitude Era.Sometime between WrestleMania 13 and WrestleMania 14, the WWE – then known, of course, as the WWF – entered a period of its history known as the Attitude Era. Marked by edgier storylines and some of the most memorable superstars of the company’s history, the Attitude Era helped the WWF defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars.Those characters and storylines, of course, bled into the WrestleMania programming each year. Here are some of the top matches that you might not remember from that era that were good nonetheless.

#1 Dumpster match

Road Dogg got more than he bargained for from Cactus Jack in this one.

One of the key components of Attitude Era programming was a increased focus on hardcore style matches, and who better to get involved than Mick Foley and Terry Funk? At WrestleMania 14 in 1998, the duo fought as Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie against the New Age Outlaws in a dumpster match for the WWF Tag Team Championship.

The elder duo won the match, and even if they only held the belts for a day, watching Funk put Road Dogg and Billy Gunn in a dumpster with a forklift is definitely something worth watching.

#2 Shane McMahon def. X-Pac

X-Pac tried to get the best of Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 15 in 1999.

D-Generation X was perhaps the most beloved faction of the Attitude Era, if not all of WWF history, and like it or not, X-Pac played a big role in that. Conversely, Shane McMahon has played his own part in the success of the company.

The two squared off in a match for the European Championship at WrestleMania 15 in 1999, with Test at ringside to support Shane. The end of the match held a surprise, though, as DX members Chyna and Triple H came out to interfere and turn on X-Pac, allowing Shane to retain his title.

#3 Triple Threat with Two Belts

Chris Jericho secured the second of two falls to take home the European title.

Wrestlemania 16 was known as WrestleMania 2000, and it is best remembered for a three-way ladder match between the Hardy Boyz, Dudleys and Edge and Christian or perhaps the Four Corners Elimination match for the WWF title. Those weren’t the only unique matches on the card, though.

The night also held a Triple Threat match between “Eurocontinental Champion” Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and the late Chris Benoit with the first fall counting for the Intercontinental title and the second being for the European title. Even though the three men were known as three of the greatest pure wrestlers in the company, they did plenty of big spots, and Angle went home without a belt.

#4 Eddie Guerrero def. Test

Eddie Guerrero was a member of the Radicalz with Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn.

By the time WrestleMania 17, known as X-Seven, rolled around, WCW had folded, so a bulk of that talent had made its way to the WWE roster. Eddie Guerrero was among the first to jump ship, and he had a European title match against Test at that event.

Guerrero was known as one of the top performers in pro wrestling before his untimely death in 2005, but Test held his own in the match. The 6-foot-6, nearly 300-pound powerhouse even took to the top rope for a flying heel kick before succumbing to multiple run-ins.

#5 Edge def. Booker T

Edge decided to mock Booker T during a match on Edge’s home turf in Toronto.

The match between Edge and Booker T at WrestleMania 18, or X-8, won’t be among either man’s most remembered bouts because there really weren’t any stakes. Still, there was a lot to enjoy within the match.

The event was in Toronto, and Edge, a Canadian, came out on top after an entertaining, hard-hitting match, which included a great series of reversals late in the matchup. Both men are among the most decorated in the history of the WWE, so it’s definitely worth a few minutes to go back and check this one out.