As of this writing, a dozen matches are set to take place at WrestleMania 33, which is more than any other edition of the event in many years. In fact, more bouts could be added with a little under two weeks remaining until the epic event.
Of course, some of those matches are bound to be added to the two-hour Kickoff show at some point between now and then. There isn't nearly enough time for the main card to host all 12 matches, and sometimes bouts being relegated to the pre-show can be a blessing in disguise.
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In fact, it was at WrestleMania 28 five years ago that WWE instituted the pre-shows for their pay-per-views, and a handful of them have featured some fun matchups. Let's look at the top five best WrestleMania matches to take place on the Kickoff show since 2012.
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#5 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (WrestleMania 31)
Of the three Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royals that have occurred thus far, only one of them was on the Kickoff show, and that was at WrestleMania 31. It was originally slated for the main card but was bumped at the last second.
It wasn't too much stronger than the year before, but there were a few cool stories involved in the match, such as NXT’s Hideo Itami having a one-off and Damien Mizdow finally turning on The Miz after so many months of taking abuse from him.
The crowd went nuts for Mizdow as he eliminated Miz from the matchup, making Big Show's eventual victory all the more puzzling. At the very least, Big Show is this generation's Andre the Giant, so him winning wasn't too illogical.
#4 Wade Barrett vs. The Miz (WrestleMania 29)
The Intercontinental Championship was such an afterthought heading into WrestleMania 29 that it was not surprising in the slightest when the bout was bounced from the main card. However, The Miz and Wade Barrett had a pretty decent feud in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view and were determined to make the most of the time they were allotted.
For an hour-long pre-show, it was weird that Miz and Barrett received just under five minutes for their match, but for what it was, the contest was entertaining. They had natural in-ring chemistry together and contested a nice little match for as long it lasted.
Miz's ultimate Intercontinental title victory was slightly shocking yet a memorable moment. Granted, his reign was over by the next night's Raw, but he did walk away with a victory on the grandest stage of them all.
#3 Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. The New Day vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores (WrestleMania 31)
Finally, we get to the good stuff. It didn't take long at all for Tyson Kidd and Cesaro to gel as a tag team and bring back excitement to the stagnant division, which is why it was a shame their title defence was shelved to the Kickoff match at WrestleMania 31.
Nevertheless, they set out to steal the (pre-)show and they did just that. The Usos, The New Day and Los Matadores were hardly compelling opponents for them, but the match was extremely entertaining from an in-ring standpoint.
The action was non-stop throughout and all four teams put forth a fantastic effort. But in the end, Kidd and Cesaro retained their titles as they should have, and set the bar for the remainder of the show.
#2 Primo and Epico vs. The Usos vs. Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel (WrestleMania 28)
Although it is historically significant for being the first-ever Kickoff match in WWE history, the WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat match from WrestleMania 28 actually wasn't all that notable. That match itself was a tonne of fun, mind you, but it was thrown together at the last possible minute.
Despite that, Primo and Epico had yet to have a truly memorable defence as tag team champions, and The Usos and Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel were gunning for the gold on that night. The bout featured was the ultimate high-flying extravaganza, and the combatants didn't disappoint in providing fans with an exhilarating contest.
At only five minutes in length, this matchup could have been much longer than it actually was, but they killed it in the time they were given. Primo and Epico emerged with their titles intact, but only after strong showings from their hungry challengers.
#1 The Usos vs. The Real Americans vs. Rybaxel vs. Los Matadores (WrestleMania 30)
Similar to Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, The Usos won their first set of WWE Tag Team Championship weeks ahead of WrestleMania. The monumental moment would have been best saved for the Show of Shows, but it did allow for this exciting title defence instead.
The Real Americans, Rybaxel and Los Matadores were all struggling to find direction at the time, yet they were able to come together and produce a tremendous tag team elimination match that fired on all cylinders.
Los Matadores were quickly eliminated followed by Rybaxel, but once it came down to The Usos and Real Americans, magic ensued. It was such a suspenseful match that the crowd legitimately cared about, and after The Usos came out on top with their titles in tow, Cesaro cemented his split from Jack Swagger at long last to a roar from the rowdy crowd.
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