The concept of the opening match has evolved so much since the beginning of WrestleMania. In the early days of WWE, there wasn\u2019t a lot of importance put on the match, at least not as much as is placed on it in recent times. The term \u201ccurtain jerker\u201d was thrown around a lot, and starting the show was seen as a demotion more than a promotion. As we have seen, the opening contest is one of the more coveted spots on the card. There has been a decided shift in<\/p>\n
The opening match has now become a very important piece of the WrestleMania puzzle. It is the match that gets the crowd hot for the rest of the show. The spotlight of WrestleMania has shone bright on some of these opening contests, and the best of them are listed below.<\/p>\n
We can start this list with the low-hanging fruit of what is considered one of the best WrestleMania matches in history. The story of brother versus brother took a while to form, but when it did, the fireworks exploded. Bret Hart refused to face his brother, but after months of goading on the part of his younger brother, the showdown was set to open the tenth WrestleMania.<\/p>\n
It should come as no surprise that this match was a technical masterpiece. The brothers Hart put on a clinic of chain wrestling paired with the intensity of a blood feud.<\/p>\n
This was a combination of great styles and superb storytelling. The chemistry was off the charts, which makes sense with two brothers facing one another. It was a beautiful back-and-forth battle that was capped off with the shock win by Owen Hart. It was a match that pushed Owen Hart out of his brother’s spotlight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n A few hidden gems are going to make it on this list, with this Belfast Brawl being right at the top. WrestleMania 24 was a night of emotional matches, and they overshadowed the fantastic opener that took place between two of the stiffest workers in WWE history.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t much to the build between these two men, and frankly, there didn\u2019t need to be. With how JBL and Finlay worked, all WWE needed to do was put them in the ring and let them go to work. This was not a match that was going to win any major awards; it was just a fun ride from start to finish. The creativity used with the stipulation was exactly what one would expect from a WrestleMania opener.<\/p>\n The weapons were thrown about the ring with the intensity we are accustomed to when Finaly and JBL are present. There was nothing fancy here, just two men hitting each other as hard as they could until one couldn\u2019t get up. It was a great match that set the tone for the rest of WrestleMania 24.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The \u201cYes\u201d Movement was an organic wave of support from the WWE Universe that forced the office to change the \u2018Mania plans. Inserting Daniel Bryan into the main event seemed like a forgone conclusion, but first, he was going to have to go through Triple H to get there.<\/p>\n What followed was a great technical match, only topped by the story being told. The fans were rabid in their support of Bryan, and Triple H was great in his role as a heel, slowing the pace down and trying to dismantle Bryan. It was the perfect way to show more sympathy at the feet of a man who needed none.<\/p>\n The finish of the match was essentially a forgone conclusion, considering that Daniel Bryan was headed to the main event. That doesn\u2019t take away from the incredible job that both men did, taking the audience along for a great 25-minute ride. It was the perfect start of a path to the Miracle on Bourbon Street for Daniel Bryan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Heading into WrestleMania 41, WWE has a golden opportunity to combine the best female wrestlers on the roster. The interwoven story between Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, and IYO SKY was fantastic. These were three babyface wrestlers who tried to one-up each other in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania. It was decided that booking a triple threat would be best for business, and in hindsight, it absolutely was.<\/p>\n There are no notes for this match; it was perfect. The clash in styles was the perfect combination, and you could tell these women were out to steal the show. Each woman was paired with another while still delivering incredible triple-threat action.<\/p>\n There was a creativity to the spots that we haven\u2019t seen in many triple threats, and the crowd was in the palm of their hands the entire time. This was the exact type of opener that any WrestleMania would dream of having. All of it was capped off by a great finish, with Iyo Sky retaining her championship in a surprise victory.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The multi-man gimmick match has been a staple of WrestleMania for decades. From battle royales to ladder matches, they are a great way to fill out a card with multiple wrestlers. WrestleMania has been filled with these types of matches, but perhaps none have been better than the car wreck that started WrestleMania 32.<\/p>\n The Intercontinental Championship scene was a muddled mess before WrestleMania 32. Kevin Owens had tried to duck every contender possible, but the Authority wasn\u2019t having any of it and booked a 7 Man Ladder Match<\/a> for the IC strap. What followed was exactly what we all would want from a ladder match.<\/p>\n There was a sense of chaos throughout the contest. There was no storyline to be followed, just insane bump after insane bump. Particular highlights include a brutal half-and-half suplex from Sami Zayn onto Kevin Owens. It looked like Owens’ head split in two as he landed on the ladder, highlighting the high-spot, fast-paced match that opened WrestleMania 32.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero were the reigning tag team champions when they walked into their WrestleMania 21 opener. They had enjoyed great matches when paired together, but this match was about who was the better wrestler. There was a sense of professional pride that was on the line as the two friends engaged in an incredible match to determine who was the best.<\/p>\n Guerrero and Mysterio were so well matched that neither man could gain the advantage. The back-and-forth wrestling was in par with what we have come to expect from these two greats.<\/p>\n For every move, there was a reversal, and that was mixed with great chain wrestling. There were no bells and whistles with this match, just great wrestling from two of the best to ever step into a wrestling ring. The added caveat surrounding the match was the first rumblings of Eddie Guerrero’s heel turn<\/a> that would come to the surface later in the summer.<\/p>\nJBL v Finlay (Belfast Brawl; WrestleMania 24) <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Daniel Bryan v Triple H (WrestleMania 30)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
IYO SKY v Rhea Ripley v Bianca Belair (Triple Threat Match for the Women\u2019s World Championship; WrestleMania 41, Night Two)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match (WrestleMania 32) <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Rey Mysterio v Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 21) <\/strong><\/h2>\n