Main eventing WrestleMania is the end game for anyone who steps foot in WWE. From day one, every wrestler hones their craft to become such a talent that the office and the audience are deemed worthy of filling that spot. It means more money, more exposure, and, most assuredly, a world championship run.
Over the past 40 years, the men and women who have main-evented Wrestlemania are some of the greatest to ever walk through the curtain. It’s a laundry list of WWE greats but also a list that is missing some surprising names. Names that have worked their butts off to main event the Grandest Stage but have never been given the chance.
Here are the top five surprising names to never main-event WrestleMania.
CM Punk
We can begin with the wrestler who inspired this list. CM Punk has been one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step foot within WWE. His skill in the ring is only matched by his skills with a microphone, and he has had memorable programs with just about every major star.
When WrestleMania rolled around, Punk had plenty of huge programs. During his time, he has squared off against the likes of Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, and The Undertaker. Any of these would be great as a main event but he has never been given that honour.
For a man who has rested so much of his laurels on main-eventing WrestleMania, it’s amazing that WWE hasn’t been able to make it work. He has the talent to make a huge impact on any program leading up to the Grandest Stage.
Punk has been on the precipice of the main event a few times, and it’s a shame that WWE hasn’t made it happen. Hopefully, with the second run, the Second City Saint will get his wish.
Sting
Sting is on the Mount Rushmore of WCW wrestlers. He was the painted-faced warrior who was the face of a company. Whether it be colourful or black and white, his painted face was a sign that trouble was coming for whoever stood across from him.
While with WCW, Sting achieved everything there was to achieve. He was a 6-time WCW World Champion and headlined every major show that WCW had to offer. Sting was a big-time player and should have been treated as such when he made his way over to WWE.
Sting was the poster boy for a WrestleMania main event. He was the biggest star from the opposition, and a showdown with The Undertaker would have been a perfect way to have him main-event the biggest show of the year. Alas, WWE decided to be petty and have him stare up at the lights to Triple H.
It was a huge missed opportunity.
Bayley
As part of the Four Horsewomen, Bayley has been one of the glass breakers of WWE. She was part of an uprising of young female talent that showed what female professional wrestling could be. Under her watch, the female division reached heights that it had never hit before.
She and the other wrestlers were taken seriously. Bayley was a leader of that cause; that alone should have put her in the main event of WrestleMania.
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks – the other three horsewomen – have all had their shot at WrestleMania’s main event. All have had great success in that slot, and it can be argued that Bayley’s talent exceeds theirs. She has had great rivalries with all these women and could have easily been put into the main event against them.
It’s a mistake that WWE needs to rectify.
Ric Flair
The Dirtiest Player in the game has done everything that there is to do in professional wrestling. Ric Flair has left a legacy that will be matched by no one. His record 16 World Championships is astonishing, and there isn’t a brass ring that he hasn’t grabbed, except for one.
Ric Flair has never gotten the chance to main-event the Grandest Stage of Them All. We all know that Flair hasn’t main-evented WrestleMania, but that still doesn’t make it any less shocking.
He had been close once but was shunted to the side due to the backstage politicking from Hulk Hogan. It was his best chance, but it shouldn’t have been his only.
Throughout Flair’s WWE run, there were some great chances to have him close out the biggest show of the year, but his retirement match should have taken the prize. It would have been a great send-off and would have righted a wrong by WWE.
Rhea Ripley
There is still plenty of time for this to take place, but still, it’s a bit of a shock that Rhea Ripley hasn’t main-evented WrestleMania. With the show moving to two nights, there have already been plenty of opportunities for WWE to make her match go on last.
For years, Mami has been on top of World Wrestling Entertainment. In NXT, she was highly popular, and she rode that to success on the main roster.
Initially, she was great, but her alignment with The Judgement Day turned her into the character we see today. A character that has dominated the female ranks and had some of the best matches in years.
Specifically, her SmackDown Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 39 against Charlotte Flair was a match of the year quality. It would have been a historic event to have that go on last and end night one of WrestleMania on the right note.
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