5 greatest WWE Superstars who never headlined WrestleMania

CM Punk never headlined a WrestleMania.
CM Punk never headlined a WrestleMania.

WrestleMania is the biggest professional wrestling event of the year. The dream of most emerging WWE Superstars is to be in the main event of the Show of Shows. This year, we will witness history, as women will headline the Showcase of the Immortals for the first time in history. RAW Women's champion Ronda Rousey, Smackdown LIVE Women's champion Charlotte Flair, and the winner of the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble Becky Lynch will have a go at each other in a Winner-Takes-All match to stand tall at the end of WrestleMania.

As mentioned earlier, the WrestleMania main event is the most coveted spot in professional wrestling. There have been many deserving and undeserving stars who have closed the show. However, there have been some really deserving WWE Superstars who could never headline WrestleMania. In this list, we will take a look at a few of the greatest WWE Superstars who never went on last at WrestleMania.


#5. Eddie Guerrero

The celebration at the end of WrestleMania 20 was one of the most beautiful moments in WWE History.
The celebration at the end of WrestleMania 20 was one of the most beautiful moments in WWE History.

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'Latino Heat' was one of the most gifted wrestlers of his generation. Eddie Guerrero was one of the most beloved WWE Superstars ever and etched his legacy in the hearts of every wrestling fan in the world.

However, Guerrero never headlined a single WrestleMania during his tenure with WWE. He shared a beautiful moment with his best friend Chris Benoit during the closing moments of WrestleMania 20, after the latter defeated both Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. But Guerrero never competed in a match that closed out WrestleMania, and that fact may still hurt some of the fans since Eddie was more than deserving of that honor.

#4. Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio captured his maiden World Title in WWE at WrestleMania 22.
Rey Mysterio captured his maiden World Title in WWE at WrestleMania 22.

Rey Mysterio was one of the best friends of Eddie Guerrero and similar to Latino Heat, the Luchador could also never close out WrestleMania. The Master of the 619 was the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble and challenged Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Show of Shows in a triple threat match also involving the prodigy Randy Orton.

With Eddie Guerrero's untimely passing fresh, and Rey being the winner of the Royal Rumble, fans expected the World Heavyweight Championship match to close out WrestleMania 22. However, the WWE Championship match between the Champ John Cena and the Challenger Triple H received that spot instead.

Rey Mysterio is back with WWE now. However, he is now in a veteran role and primarily there just to put other promising talents over. Thus, we should not expect the Ultimate Underdog to close out WrestleMania anytime soon.

#3. Kane

Kane was never truly rewarded for his loyalty to WWE.
Kane was never truly rewarded for his loyalty to WWE.

Kane has been one of the most loyal WWE employees over time. The Big Red Machine has been signed with WWE from 1995 - in three different gimmicks - and is still making sporadic appearances for the company, even after taking charge as the Mayor of Knoxville County.

After making his debut as Kane in 1997, Kane was placed in a high profile feud against his storyline brother The Undertaker, which led to a clash between the behemoths at the WrestleMania XX. However, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin got main event honors.

Over the years, WWE ruined the aura of Kane. At times, Kane looked monstrous and back in form, but WWE never took Kane seriously enough for him to regain his mystique. One of the turning points can be traced back to Kaner being unmasked, which hurt his character severely.

#2. Ric Flair

Ric Flair ended his WWE Career at WrestleMania 24.
Ric Flair ended his WWE Career at WrestleMania 24.

One could argue Ric Flair was a perennial main-eventer in other wrestling promotions, but the fact is that the Nature Boy still spent a massive chunk of his career with the WWE.

Ric Flair won his first-ever Royal Rumble match in 1992, after lasting for over 60 minutes - one of the most resilient performances throughout his illustrious career. Since the 1992 Royal Rumble match was for the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship, Flair became the Top Dog in the company leading up to Wrestlemania VIII. The Dirtiest Player in the Game was scheduled to defend his title against Macho Man Randy Savage at WrestleMania.

However, it was Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice - a match that ended in a DQ - that headlined that WrestleMania. Flair contested at various WrestleManias over the years but could never close out one.

#1. CM Punk

CM Punk should have headlined WrestleMania at least once.
CM Punk should have headlined WrestleMania at least once.

CM Punk deserved to headline WrestleMania. Punk was - without an iota of doubt - WWE's hottest wrestler from 2011 to 2013. However, WWE never gave him a chance to close out the Show of Shows.

Punk was in the form of his life after cutting the pipebomb promo - where he questioned some of WWE management's decisions pertaining to part-timers and not rewarding the hard-working performers. The Rock got handed the main event of WrestleMania 28, even though he had been away from the company for many years.

At WrestleMania 28, The Rock and John Cena headlined in a "Once in a Lifetime" match ahead of the WWE title match featuring Punk and Chris Jericho. However, the next year, WWE screwed Punk out of the main event once more, instead choosing the sequel match between Cena and Rock to close out the show yet again. WWE could have easily added Punk to make it a triple threat match for the WWE Championship - but they didn't. Punk, meanwhile, had the best match on the show against The Undertaker.

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Edited by Duncan W. Lievi (Dhruva Verma)
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