7 Biggest WrestleMania rises and falls from year to year

WrestleMania Rise: The Rock

The Rock

WrestleMania XIV-WrestleMania XV

By early 1998, there was no denying that The Rock was on the come-up. He was the reigning Intercontinental Champion and was soon to become the de facto leader of the New Nation.

At WrestleMania XIV he defended his IC Title against Ken Shamrock in an entertaining, albeit mid-card, matchup. While he was clearly earmarked for bigger and better things, The Rock wasn't quite there yet at the time.

The Rock was a WrestleMania headliner for the first time at WrestleMania XV

Fast forward one year later, and those “bigger and better” hopes for Rock had come to fruition.

Instead of being the Intercontinental Champion, The Rock came into WrestleMania XV as the WWF Champion and was cemented as a main event player.

The Rock headlined the show for the first time in his career, defending his championship against Steve Austin. This would be the first of three WrestleMania matches The Rock and Austin would share together. The Rock never looked back on his way to superstardom over the next twenty years.