The granddaddy of them all, WrestleMania is just about a week away. The anticipation for the extravaganza is sky high among the WWE Universe. And since the pay-per-view is richer than Richie Rich when it comes to history, we have decided to take a look back at some of the best WrestleMania matches with this latest series.Over the last thirty years, WWE fans have witnessed some great WrestleMania matches. From the iconic Andre vs. Hogan to the Owen vs. Bret wrestling clinic, the fans have been treated to some amazing bouts at the grandest stage. There have also been a few triple threat matches in the main event, and arguably the best of the lot took place at WrestleMania 20.The tenacity of Chris Benoit took him all the way to WrestleMania, but he faced two former best friends turned bitter rivals in Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and it surely was a uphill battle for the rabid wolverine to get his hands on the coveted World Heavyweight title, and in the end, it turned out to be one of the greatest moments in the history of professional wrestling.
#1 The Build up
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Chris Benoit was always seen as a workhorse, and it took him nearly two decades to realize his dream of headlining the biggest PPV in the business. Benoit entered at number one in the Royal Rumble match, and lasted for more than an hour, last eliminating The Big Show, as an emotional Jim Ross emphasized on what it meant for Benoit, as his dream of headlining WrestleMania finally came true.
In the main event of the Royal Rumble PPV, Triple H and HBK battled it out for the World Heavyweight title in a Last Man Standing match, as both the performers dished out everything they had at each other. In the end, neither man was able to answer the referee’s 10 – count, and the match ended in a draw, with Triple H retaining the World title.
In the weeks following the PPV, Shawn urged Benoit to go after the WWE champion on Smackdown!, but Benoit refused to do so, and Shawn superkicked Benoit and signed the contract for a title match at WrestleMania, which Benoit was set to sign.
Austin, who was the RAW Sheriff then made a triple threat match at WrestleMania for the gold, as Benoit would face not one but two opponents.
#2 The match
In the main event, Chris Benoit battled it out with Shawn and Triple H, and with the personal animosity at an all time high between Triple H and Michaels, Benoit tried to go for early pinfalls. Shawn and Benoit started brawling with the intention to face Triple H alone, but Triple H intervened, leading to an all out brawl between the three men.
Chris Benoit then gained the upper hand, and at one point trapped Shawn in the Crippler Crossface, and just as it looked like Shawn was about to tap, Triple H made the save. Triple H and Shawn Michaels then suplexed Benoit through the announcer’s table, and Shawn then challenged Triple H for a one – on – one confrontation.
In the end however, Benoit managed to make it to the ring, throwing Shawn out in the process, and trapped Triple H in the Crossface.
The storytelling throughout the match was phenomenal, with fast pace action and Triple H and Shawn Michaels trying to go at each other’s throats while Benoit tried to wrestle his way into control. Triple H finally tapped out, as the somber voice of Jim Ross turned into elation, with Ross putting over the 18 year journey of Chris Benoit and his struggles to finally win “the big one”.
With Benoit shedding tears of joy, the then WWE champion and Benoit’s best friend, Eddie Guerrero joined him in the ring with tears running down. Both men embraced as the confetti came down from the rafters, as the fans stood up to applaud Benoit’s efforts. The PPV went off the air with Eddie Guerrero applauding his best friend’s accomplishment, as Benoit celebrated in the ring.
#3 The aftermath
Chris Benoit was scheduled to defend his title against Shawn Michaels at WWE Backlash, but with Triple H coming back on RAW, he demanded a rematch for the title. Eric Bischoff then booked yet another triple threat match for the World Heavyweight title, with Chris Benoit facing Triple H and Shawn Michaels at the Backlash PPV.
During the main event, Chris Benoit trapped Shawn in Bret’s signature finisher, the Sharpshooter, as the PPV was in Canada and Vince wanted to make peace with Bret. Triple H tried to intervene and stop Shawn from tapping out, but Shawn couldn’t hold on as Benoit retained the title. Benoit would later lose the title to Randy Orton at SummerSlam, putting him over as the next face of the company.
