10 Former WWE Champions and their biggest WrestleMania Moments

Roman Reigns.
Roman Reigns.

WrestleMania has been, undoubtedly, the biggest annual event of the pro wrestling industry for the last 37 years. The show debuted in 1985 and has produced countless larger-than-life moments in WWE history.

It is the stage that has given us many legendary encounters, like the WrestleMania 3 match between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant. It is the same platform where we witnessed Daniel Bryan defying the odds to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It is due to these magical moments that WrestleMania is famously called The Showcase of the Immortals.

Other wrestling promotions like AEW and NJPW also have their grand yearly pay-per-views like Revolution and Wrestle Kingdom. However, none of those events match the legacy of WWE's WrestleMania.

So far, thousands of wrestlers have showcased their talent on the Grandest Stage Of Them All. But only a few of those WWE Superstars were able to create their iconic WrestleMania moments. In this article, let's take a look at 10 former WWE Champions and their biggest all-time WrestleMania moments.

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#10 AJ Styles: Facing The Undertaker in a Boneyard Match, WrestleMania 36

Styles at Mania 32.
Styles at Mania 32.

AJ Styles has wrestled all over the world during his long and remarkable career. From NJPW to TNA, The Phenomenal One has tasted success everywhere. After finally making his WWE debut in 2016, Styles quickly became a dependable main event star.

At WrestleMania 32, Styles went toe-to-toe with Chris Jericho in a high-profile match. He had a pretty strong showing against the former multi-time World Champion but was surprisingly defeated by the Y2J.

In the next three editions of WrestleMania, AJ Styles collided with Shane Mcmahon, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Randy Orton. These were some highly-anticipated matchups, and The Phenomenal One came out victorious in all of them. However, the best WrestleMania moment of his career has to be his Boneyard Match with The Undertaker, which took place at Night 1 of WrestleMania 36.

It was a Boneyard match, which was a modified version of the well-known buried alive match. The storytelling in this match was amazing. AJ Styles and The OC felt the wrath of The Undertaker's Unholy Trinity.

After battling throughout the graveyard, AJ Styles threw the Undertaker in an open grave. He was ready to bury The Phenom alive before The Undertaker mysteriously appeared behind him. After thanking AJ for giving him a good fight, 'Taker pushed Styles into the pit and dumped the sand to bury Styles alive.

It was one of the most iconic WrestleMania contests of all time, and also the final match for The Undertaker. Styles got the honor of retiring probably the biggest wrestling legend of all time, and also became an official WrestleMania main eventer in the process.


#9. The Undertaker: Career vs. Streak, WrestleMania 26

The Undertaker.
The Undertaker.

It might not be wrong to say that WrestleMania is the Undertaker's playground. The Phenom is the most decorated Superstar in WrestleMania history. He remained undefeated in the biggest battleground for 21 years. It was almost impossible to take down The Undertaker at WrestleMania. That's the reason why there are just two men in wrestling history who somehow managed to beat 'Taker clean at WrestleMania.

Although it's quite difficult to pick the most special moment from The Undertaker's WrestleMania journey, his encounter with Shawn Michaels could be considered his biggest 'Mania victory. This match was special in many ways, as The Heartbreak Kid put his career on the line against The Undertaker's streak.

After trading blows for 20-plus minutes, Undertaker spiked Shawn Michaels with a Tombstone Piledriver. This time, Shawn Michaels failed to kick out and lost his second consecutive match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania. It marked the end of Shawn Michaels' legendary career, while the sacred streak of the Undertaker remained alive.

#8. Randy Orton: Facing The Undertaker, WrestleMania 21

Orton at WrestleMania 35.
Orton at WrestleMania 35.

Randy Orton has been one of WWE's most certified main-event Superstars of the last two decades. In his storied career, Orton has competed in 16 WrestleMania matches. He made his WrestleMania debut at the 20th edition of the show, where he teamed up with Ric Flair and Batista to face the iconic duo of The Rock and Mick Foley.

Although Orton has suffered 10 losses at the show, he has also picked up some big victories on the Grandest Stage of Them All. The Legend Killer has also main evented two WrestleManias in his career.

However, Orton's greatest moment at the show has to be his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21, where he pushed the Phenom to his limits. The bout was the culmination of a very personal rivalry between a young Randy Orton and The Undertaker.

The match exceeded all the expectations and enhanced the legitimacy of both the Superstars. The biggest moment of the bout came when Orton reversed a lethal chokeslam into a beautiful RKO.

At one point in the match, It became almost confirmed that Randy Orton was breaking the streak. Although Orton lost the match, he established himself as a sadistic heel who had all the qualities to be the next megastar of WWE.


#7 Edge: Spearing Jeff Hardy in mid-air, WrestleMania 17

EDGE
EDGE

When it comes to WrestleMania, Edge can proudly call himself a promising moment-maker. Edge has participated in 11 WrestleManias and has been triumphant on seven different occasions.

Some of Edge's WrestleMania highlights include spearing Mick Foley through a flaming table, defeating Randy Orton in Edge's first match in 11 years, and becoming the first-ever MITB Holder.

However, Edge's most iconic moment at the show came at WrestleMania 17, when he speared Jeff Hardy, who was hanging mid-air, off a 20-foot ladder. It was a never seen before moment and is still acknowledged as the best spear of all time.

#6 John Cena: Beating The Rock, WrestleMania 29

Cena Vs Rock.
Cena Vs Rock.

John Cena has one of the best win/loss records at WrestleMania. The Cenation leader made his first appearance at the event at WrestleMania 20. He faced the Big Show for the United States title at the event and came out victorious.

Some of his prominent matches at the show include his bouts against Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Batista, and The Undertaker. However, his best victory at The Showcase of the Immortals came when he defeated The Rock at WrestleMania 29.

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Both of these Superstars were never supposed to face each other again after their WrestleMania 28 encounter. But John Cena won the Royal Rumble 2013 to have a chance of redemption against the Brahma Bull.

Not only did he became an 11-time World Champion, but he also accomplished the one thing he hadn't done before, beating The Rock clean at WrestleMania. It was also one of the most iconic passing of the torch moments in WWE history.


#5 Seth Rollins: Heist of the century, WrestleMania 31

The Messiah.
The Messiah.

Seth Rollins has an amazing record when it comes to WrestleMania. He has picked up six victories at the Grandest Stage while competing against Superstars like Triple H, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar.

But it's easy to pick Seth Rollins' ultimate WrestleMania moment. While Rollins has also defeated the Superstars like Brock Lesnar and Triple H at 'Mania, none of those events could surpass the unexpected 'heist of the century' that Rollins pulled off at WrestleMania 31.

At WrestleMania 31, Roman Reigns challenged the Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. The match was brutal and exhausted both of the Superstars. After going back and forth for almost half an hour, both of the Superstars laid down on the mat.

All of a sudden, Seth Rollins's music hit, and he came running down the ramp to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase.

Rollins went straight after Brock Lesnar but failed to pin him. He then smashed Roman Reigns' head into the mat with a Curb Stomp and pinned his former Shield teammate to become the new WWE Champion. It was a brilliant move by Seth Rollins, which led to probably the greatest Money In The Bank cash-in of all time.

#4 Triple H: End of an era, WrestleMania 28

Triple H
Triple H

While talking about WrestleMania, there aren't many WWE Superstars who are more experienced in performing at the Show of Shows than Triple H. The Game has participated in 23 WrestleManias in his illustrious career. Out of these 23 'Mania matches, Triple H picked up victories on 10 occasions.

Some of his WrestleMania bouts failed to live up to the hype, while some exceeded expectations. However, Triple H's best match at the event has to be his WrestleMania 28 encounter against The Undertaker.

The match was personal and included some of the best storytelling of all time. The Game wanted to avenge the loss of his best friend, Shawn Michaels, who had to retire after losing to the Undertaker. It was Triple H's second consecutive attempt at breaking the streak.

The match was a Hell In a Cell match, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. In the final moments of the contest, both Triple H and Shawn Michaels performed their respective finishers on The Undertaker.

Triple H pinned The Deadman immediately, while Shawn Michaels made the fastest count possible. But The Undertaker managed to break the three count in one of the most shocking kick-outs of all time.

Triple H fought with all his heart and brought the fight to The Phenom, However, he wasn't able to kick out after The Undertaker spiked him with a Tombstone Piledriver. The Undertaker came out victorious and extended his streak to 20-0. The three Superstars then hugged each other at the ramp and signaled the end of an era in one of the most iconic WrestleMania visuals of all time.


#3 Roman Reigns: Beating The Undertaker at WrestleMania, WrestleMania 33

The Tribal Chief
The Tribal Chief

Since the beginning of his push as a singles Superstar, WWE has always had top plans for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. In the initial years of his push, Roman Reigns was certainly not a fan favorite. People didn't want to see Reigns as a top Superstar, but Vince Mcmahon kept pushing him as the face of the company. And it is quite safe to say that it is paying off well now.

Reigns have always been a part of high-profile matches at the Show of Shows. He has competed in seven WrestleManias until now and has faced top Superstars like Kane, Randy Orton, The Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar. Roman Reigns has also main-evented the show four times in a row.

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So far, Roman Reigns' biggest victory at WrestleMania is against The Undertaker. At WrestleMania 33, Roman Reigns became only the second Superstar in WWE history to pin The Phenom at the grand event. He also temporarily retired 'Taker with his victory.

The significance of this victory got reduced a bit, as The Undertaker returned next year. Regardless, this was a massive achievement for Reigns, as it is almost impossible to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania. And it's possible that Reigns could get an even bigger WrestleMania moment when he walks into this year's WrestleMania as The Tribal Chief and Universal Champion.

#2 Daniel Bryan: Miracle on Bourbon Street, WrestleMania 30

The most iconic WrestleMania visual?
The most iconic WrestleMania visual?

Daniel Bryan's journey to WrestleMania 30 remains one of the best underdog stories told by WWE. It was an emotional story of a hero who managed to overcome the odds in his path to create his own legacy.

The story started when the authority declared Daniel Bryan as a 'B-plus player' who didn't deserve the WWE Championship. However, Bryan slowly started getting the WWE Universe behind him. By the end of 2013, Bryan became the most-loved WWE Superstar.

The Authority couldn't help but acknowledge Bryan's popularity and decided to give him a chance to prove himself. At WrestleMania 30, Triple H took matters into his own hands and went face to face with The Leader of the Yes Movement. However, he wasn't able to defeat a resilient Daniel Bryan, allowing the latter to move on to the main event.

In the main event, a war-torn Daniel Bryan faced Batista and Randy Orton. The two former Evolution members teamed up to take out Bryan. They performed the RKO-Batista Bomb combo on Bryan, which forced medical personnel to take Bryan out on a stretcher.

However, like every inspirational hero, Daniel Bryan returned to rejoin the match. He endured the pain and finally applied the Yes Lock on Batista. Batista tapped out, making Bryan the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

The crowd erupted with cheers as the announcers declared Daniel Bryan the new champion. Daniel Bryan had just done the unthinkable, as he had beaten all three members of Evolution in the very same night. It was one of the best feel-good WrestleMania moments and etched its place in the hearts of the WWE Universe forever.


#1 Brock Lesnar: Breaking the streak, WrestleMania 30

"The Streak .... is Over".
"The Streak .... is Over".

Daniel Bryan's unforgettable victory at WrestleMania 30 might have been the greatest WrestleMania moment of all time. But that isn't the case, as on that same night, Brock Lesnar pulled off the biggest WrestleMania shocker in WWE history.

At WrestleMania 30, Brock Lesnar went face-to-face with The Undertaker, with the latter's sacred WrestleMania streak on the line. In its 21-year long history, several WWE Superstars attempted to break the streak. However, none of them were able to end the dominance of The Phenom.

Brock Lesnar was expected to be the next Superstar who failed to end The Undertaker's winning streak at WrestleMania. But WWE had other plans in the store for that night. After applying a third F5 of the night on The Deadman, Brock Lesnar quickly went for the cover. The Undertaker, as usual, was expected to kick out.

However, as the referee tapped the mat for the third time, the whole Superdome crowd went into a state of shock. Nobody could believe what they had just witnessed.

The referee raised Brock Lesnar's hand, while Michael Cole made the final declaration with his famous words, "The Streak ... is over". It was the biggest and most shocking WrestleMania moment of all time. That's the reason why despite doing many more unbelievable things, conquering the streak remains the biggest highlight of Brock Lesnar's WWE career.

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Edited by Andrea Hangst
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