The Great Eight: Top 8 WrestleMania Opening Matches

I thought this would be a fun list. Lists like this usually cover all the matches from an event, or the main event. So, I wanted to celebrate the opening match. It’s an incredibly important match to be in. You are setting the tone for the entire night. You want to go out there and have a great match, to get the crowd going. But you don’t want to overshadow the rest of the card.

So, let’s take some time today to celebrate the greatest opening matches in WrestleMania history!

Fun Facts:

Tito Santana vs. The Executioner from WrestleMania 1 held the record for the shortest opening match at 4:49 until WrestleMania 26. ShoMiz vs John Morrison & R-Truth would take the record with their 3:20 match. But only two years later, at WrestleMania 28, Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan would set the record in just 18 seconds.

On the other side. Owen Hart vs Bret Hart from WrestleMania 10 would set the record for the longest opener at 20:21. This record would stand until WrestleMania 23, when the Money in the Bank lasted 24:10. This record would stand until WrestleMania 30, when Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H in 25:58.

This means Daniel Bryan holds the record for both the shortest and longest WrestleMania opening match.

Of the 140 wrestlers who have opened WrestleMania. Big Show holds the record for most opening matches with four. Shawn Michaels, The Godwinns, JBL, Randy Orton, Finlay, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, and Rhea Ripley are all tied for second place with three.

Ranking Explanation:

I am only counting matches that made it to the actual event. So, no dark matches, no matches broadcast on Heat, and no pre-show matches. It also had to be the first match of the night. This eliminated two of the three cards from WrestleMania 2 but did keep each night from the two-night WrestleManias.

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Disclaimer:

This is my list; if you don’t like it or have a different list, awesome! Please share your own list and opinions in the comments section. I welcome open discourse about this wacky art we all love. It is an art form, so it is subjective; we all have our opinions on it, and all of them are valid. So, if you want to share your thoughts and opinions, don’t insult others for their opinion. There is already enough negativity in the world; let’s not add to it. And with that, on to the list!

The List

Honorable Mentions:

Rick Martel vs Koko B. Ware – WrestleMania VI, Shawn Michaels vs Tito Santana – WrestleMania VIII, Money in the Bank – WrestleMania XXV, and WWF Intercontinental Championship: Rob Van Dam vs William Regal – WrestleMania XVIII

8: WWF Intercontinental Championship: Chris Jericho vs William Regal – WrestleMania XVII

Much like the ladder matches years down the road. Regal would be in matches for the Intercontinental Championship in the opening match of WrestleMania two years in a row. He would face Jericho at XVII and the following year defend against Rob Van Dam. I love Regal; he is one of my favorite wrestlers ever. He just understood how to incorporate the British style into the more mainstream WWE style.

It allowed him to be very unique and a solid hand in the midcard. Jericho is in his first prime here. His best work would be years down the road. But this is probably his athletic peak. And he brings everything he learned from wrestling around the world, creating his own unique style within the WWE.

This is not just in the top eight opening WrestleMania matches. It’s probably up there with one of the best matches under 10 minutes. These two went out there and set a frenetic pace that never lets up. That short time is probably the only thing keeping this from being further up the list. Just when it really gets going, it ends. Give these guys another seven minutes, and you have an all-time classic on your hands.

7: Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio – WrestleMania XXI

What happens when you put two long-time rivals in the opening match of WrestleMania and give them 12 minutes to set the tone? You get one of the best openings to WrestleMania ever. Guerrero is one of the best wrestlers ever, and Mysterio is up there as well. This is everything their Halloween Havoc match was but amped up. Both men had matured into more all-around wrestlers, and they are in front of a hot crowd.

Eddie wanted to prove he could beat Mysterio, and he threw everything at him in an attempt to finally beat him. The counter to the 619 to a vicious powerbomb was gorgeous, but nothing was enough. Because in the end, Mysterio stood tall once again.

This match, like the Regal vs Jericho match, was only held back by the length. Give these guys another five minutes or so, and it would be a lot higher on the list.

6: Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship: Zack Ryder vs Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz vs Sami Zayn vs Sin Cara vs Stardust vs Kevin Owens – WrestleMania XXXII

This is the second year in a row that a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship opened WrestleMania. Daniel Bryan won the match at XXXI, but this night it would be Zack Ryder who would get the big moment. Of course, the follow-up was piss poor, and Ryder was quickly shuffled back down the card. But for this one night, he had the crowd in his hands.

I picked this match because I think Ryder getting a big moment propels it a bit higher. I also think the match itself comes across better. Zayn and Owens brought their brand of frenemies to the match, which helped add some cohesion. This is also the Hunico Sin Cara here, someone who is highly underrated. That spot where he is getting pushed off the ladder and does a springboard senton is beautiful.

Ziggler does his Ziggler thing, selling like a beast for everyone, and showing why he deserved way more than he ever got. I wish we had gotten Ziggler in NJPW during the Omega/Okada/Tanahashi years. Prime Ziggler in the G1 would have been amazing. Cody is in full Stardust era here, and you can see shades of what was to come.

I also feel like Miz doesn’t get enough credit. He isn’t a huge work rate guy, as far as how we define that now. But he is a solid hand that gives a strong base for others to work off of, which is what he does here. He doesn’t have to take huge bumps or high-impact moves.

When it comes to opening ladder matches, I had the two Intercontinental Championship matches and two Money in the Bank matches. I picked this one over all of them because all the pieces fit so well, everyone works to their strengths, as they build a great opening to WrestleMania. The ending gives the fans a big feel-good moment after some crazy bumps. It really is a thing of beauty to watch.

5: NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley – WrestleMania XXXVI

The first-ever two-night WrestleMania, and a match that gave NXT and Ripley a lot of credibility. Ripley was clearly a star in the making, and Flair was already a certified future Hall of Famer. There is a weird tone here, as this is before they added the screens and were filming everything in the Performance Center. So, there is no crowd reaction, but you get to hear all the trash talk and bumps.

While I wish Ripley had won here, she would get her win back in one of the best WrestleMania matches ever. It’s also weird to see Ripley in blue and white. They still hadn’t let her fully be herself, but there were shades of it. Love her or hate her, you have to respect Flair. She knows how to bring it in big matches like this.

This match is power vs technique. Youth vs experience. Speaking of, it’s crazy how good Ripley was here. She was seven years into her career and still in her early 20s. But she wrestles like a veteran. While Flair would win, she definitely gave Ripley a lot. Helping to make her long, strong, even in defeat. There is also a lot of good psychology here. Flair constantly focuses on the leg, which gives Ripley a valid reason to finally tap.

While I hope we never go back to the no-crowd era. Even more so because of why there were no crowds. But it is interesting to go back and watch the shows from this time. It has such a different and distinct feel, I might need to do a best-of-matches from this era. Regardless, this is often overlooked due to their match a few years later, but I think this match deserves to be on this list.

4: Daniel Bryan vs Triple H – WrestleMania XXX

Daniel Bryan’s climb to the top of the WWE culminated at WrestleMania XXX. After not even being in the Royal Rumble, the Yes Movement would catapult Bryan into this match with Triple H. If he won, he would get entered into the Main Event with Randy Orton and Batista. While Triple H had passed his prime, Daniel Bryan could wrestle an invisible man and have a minimum of a three-star match.

Triple H brought his working boots this night, and the two of them put on one of the best opening matches in WrestleMania history. It’s also the longest opener in WrestleMania history. But the 25 minutes fly by, and Triple H pulls out all the stops to stop the GOAT from achieving his dream. Bryan does what he does best and fights back from underneath. Finding an answer for everything Triple H threw at him.

While a lot of people were pissed that Bryan wasn’t in the Rumble, the crowd turning on the whole match when number 30 came out comes to mind. The WWE used that to connect him even more to the fans. His whole struggle against The Authority, who viewed him as a B+ player, allowed the fans to see themselves in him, and he got even more over because of it.

This match has an old-school NWA feel to it, much like most of Triple H’s part-time work, and it works really well here. I would recommend this match to anyone who hasn’t seen it before.

3: WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Drew McIntyre vs Seth Rollins – WrestleMania XL Night 1

Seth Rollins sacrificed his body to help bring credibility to the World Heavyweight Championship. For 316 days, he put on great matches with everyone. Drew was on his long quest to finally become champion again. And of course, there is the wildcard at the commentary booth, CM Punk.

This match is between two of the best going out there to prove they deserve their spots. Yeah, the selling point was Roman vs Cody II, and Cody finally getting that World Championship. But this match was the work rate fans’ match. Two guys just giving it their all for our entertainment and the top prize on their brand.

Rollins went into WrestleMania banged up and went through a brutal tag match the night before. Drew was a man on a mission. When Drew is on, there are few who can touch him. He is so great at the little things that help sell a match. His facial expressions, his selling, his trash talk. It all comes together. It is so night and day from his first run in the company.

Of course, even with Drew winning, the drama would continue, with a Punk attack followed by Damien Priest cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase (which, despite Danhausen’s belief, is not filled with money).

This match is one of the best examples of opening WrestleMania there is. They go out there and get the crowd heated up. They deliver on the work rate, the drama, and set the tone for the entire night. If you haven’t seen it, or haven’t watched it in a while, do yourself a favor and watch it now.

2: WWE Women’s World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair vs IYO SKY – WrestleMania XLI Night 2

These three women saw the Main Event of Night 1 and said, “Hold my beer.” This is my match of the event for WrestleMania XLI. The story leading up to this match was one of the few times a champion lost their title before WrestleMania. Belair was the Elimination Chamber winner and looked set to face Rhea Ripley. But then IYO SKY beat Ripley in the lead-up. Belair and Ripley treated SKY as an afterthought. And that would be both their downfall, as SKY would retain her title in her first WrestleMania win.

The only bad part of this match is that it is the reason Belair is still out injured. Finger injuries don’t seem like a big deal, but they can be difficult to heal, and Belair has had additional complications.

Injury aside, this match blows almost every other opener out of the water. It’s a perfect mix of work rate, storytelling, and psychology. All three women are at the top of their game here. The crowd is on fire for them, and it really blows almost every other match from XL out of the water. Another thing I like about this is that they try not to fall into the Triple-Threat trope, of one person being down for a long time, while the other two work. The action keeps flowing and builds into a beautiful crescendo. Go watch this match now. Number one can wait for you to get back.

1: Owen Hart vs Bret Hart – WrestleMania X

I don’t think there was much doubt about which match would be here. At most, you could make a case for this to be swapped with number two. But when you put The Excellence of Execution against The Original Black Hart, you knew it was going to be magic. 20 minutes of excellent wrestling, a mix of Bret’s Scientific excellence and Owen’s more high-flying style.

These two brothers used every second of this match to give the WWF fans a taste of something different. We are firmly in that New Generation era, the undercard was filled with weird gimmicks, and the upper card was a mix of guys like Bret and Shawn Michaels and giants like Sid, Yokozuna, and Undertaker. This level of mat work was not a normal thing to see in a WWF ring.

Bret really is one of the best pure wrestlers in history. Everything he did looked real; he made every match look like a fight. Owen’s approach was flashier, but his Dungeon training still shone through, and it’s clear these two had been wrestling with and against each other since they were kids. The fact that Owen never reached the heights of Bret is a shame. Because even if he hadn’t died, I doubt he would have ever been given the belt. But he more than deserved it.

And this match is proof of that. He more than holds his own against Bret, and the two men leave everything in the ring in an effort to entertain us. I don’t know if another match will ever top this one for me.

Preview:

Tune in next week when we cover the top eight WrestleManias!