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In the lead-up to perhaps the biggest event in professional wrestling history, WrestleMania XXX, the internet is lighting up with discussions, lists, and analyses looking back at the history of the event. One of the more common foci are the best main events in Mania history. However, another key component of any wrestling card, the opening match, is severely overlooked.
The opening match is essential to any event the size of WrestleMania. It will be the first action the fans see and it’s responsible for starting the night off right. Here, we list the top five opening matches in the history of WrestleMania (in chronological order).
WrestleMania X: Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart
This is actually the match that inspired this piece. I’d never seen it prior to researching it for this article, but any wrestling fan worth their salt has at least heard about this match. I went into this with lofty expectations, and boy did this bout meet them. It was good due to the Hart brothers employing a level of technical wrestling very rarely seen in the squared circle. The sibling rivalry is what makes it great. This is at least the best WrestleMania opener of the first twenty years, and may very well be the best overall.
Highlight: Owen Hart: showboating, opportunistic little brother.
WrestleMania 21: Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero
In a rare sight, WrestleMania 21 saw the current tag team champions in action against each othe,r as partners Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero battled it out to start the show. The match was relatively short but fit a lot of storytelling into its approximately ten minute run time, focusing on the knowledge the two men had of each other’s games. As one would expect, these two couldn’t let bygones be bygones and wound up feuding in the succeeding months.
Highlight: Both men anticipatings each other’s attacks on the outside to start the match.
WrestleMania 23: Money in the Bank feat. Mr. Kennedy, CM Punk, Randy Orton, Finlay, Matt Hardy, King Booker, Jeff Hardy, and Edge
An eight man ladder match sure is one way to get the crowd’s blood pumping. Though certainly not a technical masterpiece a la WrestleMania X’s Hart family feud, the Money in the Bank ladder match that opened WrestleMania 23 was certainly awe inspiring in all the right ways. From Finlay’s flying splash, to CM Punk wrecking shop with a step stool, to the Hardy brothers battling atop a ladder in the center of the ring, this match was pure excitement from bell to bell.
Highlight: Jeff Hardy’s ladder destroying dive onto Edge.
WrestleMania 25: Money in the Bank feat. CM Punk, Kane, Mark Henry, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, Christian, and Finlay
Realizing the success they had had two years earlier, WWE decided to once again start WrestleMania off with a Money in the Bank ladder match. This match had a much more diverse set of participants than most matches of this kind, featuring a solid mixs of both acrobatic and powerhouse wrestlers. Once again, this match was a “spotfest” in every wonderful sense of the word.
Highlight: Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston constantly one-upping each other’s freakish athletic feats.
WrestleMania 27: Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio
It’s rare for a world title match to open a pay-per-view, but this match truly was a special treat. Edge, in a rare moment as face champion, and Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio had a fast-paced, impactful brawl to start the show. Featuring all sorts of shenanigans from Christian, Brodus Clay, and Ricardo Rodriguez, the match was a really fun affair.
Highlight: Though we didn’t realize it at the time, it’s very satisfying knowing Edge got to go out on top.
Honorable Mention:
WrestleMania 28: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
This match might turn out to be the most influential 18 seconds in WWE history. Fans were outraged by Sheamus’ squash victory over thes champion Daniel Bryan. They responded in their indignation by hijacking the rest of the show with “Yes!” chants in support of Bryan, spawning a “Yes Movement” that is set to culminate in New Orleans on April 6th. The WWE Universe may not have cared for the actual match, but it’s influence cannot be denied.
Highlight: WrestleMania XXX?
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