Ranking The Undertaker’s 10 greatest WrestleMania matches

We’ve had a look through the greatest WWE WrestleMania bouts of Randy Orton and John Cena so far in this series, but we all knew that it wasn’t going to be long until we stumbled upon the work of The Deadman. After all, you could argue that without The Undertaker, WrestleMania wouldn’t be quite as successful.

The Phenom has been putting on classic after classic for over 25 years now, and in that time many of those matches have taken place on the grandest stage of them all. Unfortunately for fans of his recent work none of these entries came after the streak was broken, but to be honest, most fans would’ve probably expected that.

Taker will forever be known as a legend in this business, and regardless of whether or not he competes in New Orleans this year, nothing will ever change that.

With that being said, here is our list of The Undertaker’s 10 greatest WrestleMania matches.

#10 Diesel: WrestleMania 12

In what will be Taker’s only Mania entry from the 90s, we start with his one on one clash with Diesel. When you look back on this match it's bizarre to consider the possibility of Diesel, who was still a hot commodity at that time, putting over Taker who had already racked up a series of victories at the showcase of the immortals.

Nonetheless, that’s exactly what happened, and you could argue that this was The Deadman’s biggest Mania match at the time. It was a fun big man encounter in a match style that had often led to clunky matches, and although both men wound up having better matches later on in their careers, this one deserves more recognition than it gets.

#9 Ric Flair: WrestleMania 18

The Undertaker and Ric Flair are two of the biggest names in professional wrestling history, and because of that, it may come as a surprise that their Mania match from 2002 doesn’t get all too much attention. The showdown was built off of an intriguing story with Taker playing the heel role as The Biker, meanwhile, Flair was busy defending the honour of his son as the babyface.

It wasn't exactly a technical masterpiece but it was a lot of fun, with the interference of Arn Anderson being a particular highlight. Perhaps under different circumstances, this could’ve even been a Mania main event back in the day, but as it is, it’s just a nice anecdote which more wrestling fans around the world should go back and watch.

#8 Triple H: WrestleMania 17

We’re going to rewind back twelve months to the first of three WrestleMania meetings between long-time rivals Triple H and The Undertaker. These two men have squared off on numerous occasions, and although none of their Mania encounters were particularly well built, they were all fantastic in their own right.

The 17 edition of their trilogy was interesting, as Taker’s streak hadn’t really become a ‘thing’ yet. Because of that, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see The Game walk away with the victory, and following the sledgehammer spot that looked like a real possibility. Alas, Taker came out on top, and the two men wouldn’t meet again at Mania until 10 years later.

#7 Randy Orton: WrestleMania 21

While Randy Orton may be a legitimate star in the present day, he certainly wasn’t back in 2005. Because of that, WWE felt as if he needed to have a marquee match at WrestleMania in order to try and elevate him to the next level – and they certainly accomplished that goal when they paired him up against the one and only Deadman.

The two went at it in Los Angeles in a classic rookie vs legend kind of role, as Randy attempted to add Taker to his list of legends he’d conquered. Unfortunately for him, despite a fantastic RKO counter late in the match, it was the veteran who walked away with yet another notch on his WrestleMania record.

Thirteen years on, Orton is a bigger name than anyone could’ve anticipated.

#6 CM Punk: WrestleMania 29

Nobody could’ve known that WrestleMania 29 would be the final WWE appearance to date of the ‘Best in the World’, apart from perhaps Punk himself. The multi-time world champion was expected to defend his WWE Championship at the showcase of the immortals, but instead, he wound up attempting to break the streak.

That isn’t a bad substitute and as many fans anticipated, Punk wound up having a sensational match against The Undertaker. The drama was great, the atmosphere was electric, and it was almost certainly the best match of the night. It didn’t quite have enough to warrant a position in the top five, but still, it’s better than the majority of Taker’s Mania outings.

#5 Edge: WrestleMania 24

Edge vs The Undertaker is arguably the most underrated main event in WrestleMania history, and to be honest, that’s probably due to the show it’s on. Not only did WM24 feature Floyd Mayweather and an entertaining WWE Championship triple threat match, but it also signalled the retirement of the iconic Ric Flair.

Because of that, Edge vs Taker doesn’t receive the credit it deserves for not only giving Taker another headline-making moment but also for giving Edge a well-deserved WrestleMania main event spot. Many fans actually believed that the Rated R Superstar had the potential to walk out of the show of shows with the strap, but it wasn’t meant to be.

#4 Batista: WrestleMania 23

When we referenced the fact that The Undertaker had even better big man vs big man matches in his locker, this is what we were referring to. Back in 2007, The Phenom challenged The Animal for the World Heavyweight Championship at Ford Field in one of the most anticipated matches of the year.

It's fair to say that it didn't disappoint, as Taker rebounded from a disappointing bout at 22 in Chicago by stealing the show with Batista. They threw everything they had at one another, and fascinatingly enough, this only served as the first instalment of a legendary series of matches over the course of the next twelve months.

If anyone says Batista can’t go in the ring, show them this match.

#3 Shawn Michaels: WrestleMania 26

The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels is indeed The Showstopper, and he is indeed Mr WrestleMania – so it was only fitting that his final wrestling match came on the grandest stage of them all against a man who had never lost at the event. It was emotional, it was physical, and in many ways, it was extremely dramatic.

The storytelling here exceeded 95% of matches we’ve ever seen in WWE, and that can only be a good thing. After all, the in-ring product is vitally important when it comes to enticing the crowd, but sometimes all you need is a simple story and two incredibly talented icons of the business to tell it.

Of course, this wasn’t quite their best effort together.

#2 Triple H: WrestleMania 28

This is one of the most interestingly constructed matches in WWE history, and it’s not hard to see why. Triple H and The Undertaker, the two kings of the Hell in a Cell match, went one on one inside the structure with Shawn Michaels playing the role of the special guest referee. If that doesn’t get your wrestling juices flowing, then nothing will.

The key moment in the match came when HBK turned on Taker with some Sweet Chin Music before HHH delivered a devastating Pedigree. Everyone in the stadium thought they were about to see history being made, but as we all know, it was The Undertaker who came out on top in what was described as the ‘end of an era’ match.

#1 Shawn Michaels: WrestleMania 25

You knew this was going to top the list, and to be honest, there was never any doubt in our minds. Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 is arguably the greatest professional wrestling match of all time, with everything from the build-up to the final sequence being about as perfect as something like this can be.

While it didn’t quite have the same level of emotion that their match one year later did, it was almost certainly a better all-around product from start to finish. It’s a bout that will define the legacies of these two individuals for many years to come, and it’s a great lesson in how to execute the perfect wrestling story.

You don't have to love it, but you do have to appreciate it – and you also have to respect The Undertaker’s body of work.

Edited by anirudh.b