Ranking the 10 Worst Matches in WrestleMania History

WrestleMania. The name alone evokes images of iconic moments, legends being crowned, and the pinnacle of sports entertainment, where superstars seek immortality. It is the stage where dreams come true and careers are defined.

However, in the long and storied history of “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” not all moments are created equal. For every five-star classic that defines an era, there is a blemish—a match that went down in history not for its glory, but for its infamy. Whether due to bizarre booking decisions, forgettable performances, or ideas that never should have left the drawing board, some clashes stand out as the lowest points on the grandest stage. This article dives into the other side of immortality, ranking the 10 worst matches to ever happen at WrestleMania:

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton

WrestleMania 33

Dave Meltzer Ratings: 1.5

The build-up to this match was a modern WWE narrative masterpiece. For months, Randy Orton infiltrated The Wyatt Family, gaining the trust of its leader, Bray Wyatt, and becoming a loyal disciple. Orton’s long-term plan reached its climax when he won the 2017 Royal Rumble and, weeks later, betrayed Wyatt in the most profane way possible: by burning the sacred Wyatt Family Compound and the resting place of “Sister Abigail” to the ground. Orton revealed his sole purpose was to destroy Wyatt from the inside and take the one thing that mattered to him: the WWE Championship. The rivalry was deeply personal and psychological, promising a dark and intense climax at WrestleMania.

After such a brilliant story, the match’s execution was a colossal disappointment. The in-ring action was surprisingly mediocre and lacked the intensity that the rivalry demanded. However, what makes this match infamous was the bizarre creative decision to, at various points, cut the lights to project giant images of squirming cockroaches, maggots, and worms onto the ring canvas. The intended effect was to showcase Wyatt’s “mind games,” but the result was comical and ridiculous, pulling fans completely out of the immersion of a WWE Championship match. Instead of being scary, it became a meme, turning the climax of an epic saga into a visual joke that completely buried the match’s atmosphere.

Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon

WrestleMania 26

Dave Meltzer Ratings: Not Rated.

This match was built on over a decade of real-life animosity, stemming from the most infamous moment in wrestling history: the 1997 “Montreal Screwjob.” In 2010, Bret “The Hitman” Hart made his long-awaited return to WWE, seemingly to make peace with Vince McMahon. However, Vince betrayed Bret once again, revealing he felt no remorse and had always despised the Hart family. After weeks of taunting, Vince agreed to face Bret at WrestleMania, but not before trying to injure Bret’s leg in a storyline car accident and “buying” the loyalty of the Hart Dynasty. The story was simple and powerful: Bret Hart’s chance to finally get his revenge on the man who betrayed him 13 years earlier.

What should have been a moment of emotional catharsis devolved into one of the most tedious and lengthy confrontations in WrestleMania history. The Hart Dynasty revealed their allegiance to Bret at the start, but this only turned the match into a one-sided massacre. Due to his physical limitations from a past stroke, Bret could not take any bumps, resulting in 11 minutes of Vince McMahon being slowly beaten down. The “action” consisted primarily of Bret Hart delivering dozens of chair shots in a slow, methodical rhythm. The moment fans had waited 13 years for was not an explosion of vengeance, but an uncomfortable, drawn-out, and emotionless beatdown that silenced the crowd and became a blemish on both men’s legacies.

Triple H vs. Randy Orton

WrestleMania 25

Dave Meltzer Ratings: 2.5.

This was one of the most personal and violent rivalries in WWE history. Leading his group “Legacy,” Randy Orton began a reign of terror by brutally attacking the entire McMahon family, including punting Vince in the head and delivering an RKO to Triple H’s wife, Stephanie. Triple H’s revenge was equally savage, culminating in him invading Orton’s home and engaging in a wild brawl in his living room. The story was not about the WWE Title, but about pure, unhinged hatred, promising a WrestleMania main event that would be nothing short of a chaotic and lawless street fight.

Despite the explosive build-up, the match was one of the biggest main event disappointments in WrestleMania history. A bizarre, last-minute stipulation was added: if Triple H was disqualified, he would lose the title. This forced two men who hated each other to have a slow, methodical, traditional wrestling match, completely betraying the narrative. All the intensity and violence from the rivalry were gone. To make matters worse, the match had to follow the timeless classic between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, which left the crowd completely exhausted. The result was a long, plodding main event, met with near-total silence, and an anticlimactic finish that failed to deliver on the brutal story that preceded it.

The Miz vs. John Cena

WrestleMania 27

Dave Meltzer Ratings: 1.25

The entire build to this WrestleMania main event was hijacked by the return of The Rock, who was serving as the event’s special guest host. While The Miz was the reigning WWE Champion, enjoying his self-proclaimed “Awesome” era, he was treated as a complete afterthought. The rivalry’s focus shifted almost entirely to the verbal war between John Cena and The Rock, who were planting the seeds for their own iconic clash. The Miz, the defending champion, was relegated to the background of his own main event, making the story less about the WWE Championship and more about him being the inconvenient third wheel in a much bigger feud.

The match was a lackluster affair that failed to capture the energy of a WrestleMania main event, largely because the crowd was just waiting for The Rock to get involved. The in-ring quality was further hampered when The Miz suffered a legitimate concussion, slowing the pace down considerably. The bout reached its low point with a baffling double count-out, an unacceptable finish for any WrestleMania, let alone the main event. The Rock emerged to restart the match, only to immediately hit John Cena with a Rock Bottom, allowing a barely conscious Miz to get the pin. The entire segment served only as an advertisement for the following year’s WrestleMania, sacrificing the integrity of the championship and the night’s main event for a future storyline.

Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg

WrestleMania XX

Dave Meltzer Ratings: 1.25

On paper, this was a dream match of epic proportions: Goldberg, the unstoppable former WCW Champion, against Brock Lesnar, WWE’s freakishly athletic “Next Big Thing.” The feud began when Lesnar interfered in the Royal Rumble match, leading to Goldberg’s elimination. In retaliation, Goldberg cost Lesnar his WWE Championship against Eddie Guerrero at the following pay-per-view. With two dominant forces on a collision course, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was added as the special guest referee to control the chaos. The stage was set for an explosive, hard-hitting war between two of the most intimidating superstars in wrestling history.

The match is infamous as one of the biggest failures in WrestleMania history, thanks to a disastrous combination of backstage news and audience reaction. News had leaked that this would be the final WWE match for both competitors, as Goldberg’s contract was expiring and Lesnar was leaving to pursue an NFL career. The savvy Madison Square Garden crowd felt betrayed and hijacked the match, showering both men with deafening boos and hostile “You sold out!” chants from bell to bell. In response, Lesnar and Goldberg delivered a lazy and completely unmotivated performance, consisting of long staredowns and minimal action. The only cheer from the crowd came after the match when Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered a Stunner to both men, providing a satisfying end to a truly pathetic contest.

The Kat vs. Terri Runnels

Wrestlemania 2000

Dave Meltzer Ratings: -1.0

In the heart of the “Attitude Era,” the women’s division was often presented as a freaky show rather than pro-wrestling, and this feud was a prime example. The rivalry between The Kat and Terri Runnels was a flimsy, poorly defined story built on jealousy and backstage antics rather than any meaningful conflict. Billed not as a wrestling match but as a “Catfight,” the entire premise was designed to be a piece of eye candy for the crowd. The addition of Val Venis, a character whose gimmick was that of a former adult film star, as the special guest referee only further solidified that this encounter had nothing to do with athletic competition and everything to do with cheap titillation.

The match is an infamous lowlight in WrestleMania’s history, representing the worst creative tendencies of its era. With the bizarre rule that victory could only be achieved by throwing your opponent from the ring, the contest featured zero wrestling. The “action” consisted of little more than clumsy shoving and hair-pulling from the two untrained performers. The focus quickly shifted to the valets at ringside, culminating in the elderly Mae Young forcibly kissing the referee. The Kat won by unceremoniously pushing Terri out of the ring in an anticlimactic finish. It was a pointless, embarrassing spectacle that served as a stark reminder of how poorly the women’s division was treated at the time.

Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna

WrestleMania IX

Dave Meltzer Ratings: DUD

There was no storyline for this match, which is precisely why it’s so infamous. The scheduled main event of WrestleMania IX saw the massive Yokozuna challenge Bret “The Hitman” Hart for the WWE Championship. In a hard-fought battle, Yokozuna’s manager, Mr. Fuji, threw salt in Bret’s eyes, allowing Yokozuna to win the title in a classic villainous victory. As the new monster champion celebrated, Hulk Hogan—who had already competed in a losing tag team effort earlier—marched to the ring, ostensibly to check on the fallen Hart and protest the cheap finish. The “story” was an illogical, on-the-fly sequence of events that hijacked the intended main event.

In a moment of supreme foolishness, Mr. Fuji challenged Hulk Hogan to a championship match on the spot, and Hogan accepted. The bell rang, and Mr. Fuji immediately attempted to throw salt in Hogan’s eyes as he had done to Bret. Hogan ducked, the salt hit Yokozuna instead, and after a clothesline and a signature leg drop, Hogan pinned the blinded new champion in a shocking 22 seconds. The impromptu match was a transparently egotistical move that completely buried the monstrous Yokozuna, stole the spotlight from the intended new face of the company, Bret Hart, and ended one of the weakest WrestleManias in history on a frustrating and nonsensical note.

The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns

WrestleMania 33

Dave Meltzer Ratings: 3.0

The feud was ignited at the Royal Rumble when Roman Reigns shockingly eliminated The Undertaker, turning to the legend and declaring, “This is my yard now.” This simple statement became the foundation for their main event clash—a battle for supremacy between the polarizing new face of the company and the established, iconic veteran. The narrative was less about personal hatred and more about a potential passing of the torch, heavily implying that this could be The Undertaker’s final match. It was positioned as a definitive war to determine whose “yard” the WWE truly was.

This main event is tragically remembered for being a slow, sad, and uncomfortable viewing experience. It was painfully evident from the start that The Undertaker was physically broken down and in no condition to be competing at a WrestleMania main event level. His movements were labored, his timing was off, and the match was plagued by several notable botches, including a now-infamous reversal of a Tombstone Piledriver. Roman Reigns was forced to carry a shell of the icon, resulting in a plodding and disjointed affair. While the post-match moment, where Undertaker left his gear in the ring in a symbolic retirement, was emotionally resonant, the poor quality of the preceding bout cast a dark shadow over it, making for a depressing, rather than triumphant, end to an era.

The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez

WrestleMania IX

Dave Meltzer Ratings: 1.25

The feud began at the 1993 Royal Rumble when the villainous manager Harvey Wippleman, seeking revenge for The Undertaker’s previous victories over his client Kamala, unleashed a new monster. The nearly 8-foot-tall Giant Gonzalez stormed the ring and brutally attacked The Undertaker, effortlessly eliminating him from the Rumble match. The story was a simple, classic wrestling trope: a seemingly unbeatable giant, the largest foe The Phenom had ever encountered, was brought in to destroy the unstoppable hero. It was a monster-versus-monster build, designed solely to showcase Gonzalez’s immense size and present a credible physical threat to The Undertaker on the grandest stage.

This match is legendary for all the wrong reasons and is a contender for the worst in WrestleMania history. Giant Gonzalez, hired purely for his size, was exceptionally clumsy and immobile in the ring, and the “action” was painfully slow and boring. The spectacle was made even worse by Gonzalez’s absurd bodysuit, complete with airbrushed muscles and furry patches, which made him look comical rather than intimidating. The match reached its creative low point with the infamous finish: Gonzalez incapacitated The Undertaker with a rag soaked in chloroform, ending the monster showdown with a bizarre disqualification. It was a sluggish, nonsensical, and utterly terrible match that stands as a significant blemish on The Undertaker’s otherwise revered WrestleMania legacy.

Michael Cole vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler

WrestleMania 27

Dave Meltzer Ratings: 1.0

This feud was born from announcer Michael Cole’s transformation into an obnoxious on-screen villain. For months, he antagonized his broadcast partner, the legendary Jerry “The King” Lawler, with increasingly personal insults aimed at his career and even his late mother. The emotional core of the story was the real-life fact that Lawler had never, in his entire Hall of Fame career, competed at WrestleMania. This was positioned as his one and only chance to finally have a “WrestleMania moment” by silencing the universally despised Cole. With Cole being trained by Jack Swagger and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin appointed as the special guest referee to ensure a fair fight, the stage was set for a supposedly cathartic and long-overdue triumph for the heroic Lawler.

What transpired is widely considered the worst match in WrestleMania history. The first sin was its length, a torturous 14 minutes, most of which consisted of the non-wrestler Michael Cole slowly and clumsily dominating the legendary Lawler. After what felt like an eternity, Lawler finally made his comeback, and with help from Steve Austin neutralizing Jack Swagger, he made Cole tap out to seemingly achieve his triumphant WrestleMania moment. However, the Anonymous RAW General Manager shockingly reversed the decision, disqualifying Lawler for the referee’s physicality. The match was painfully long, dreadfully boring, and capped off with one of the most frustrating and nonsensical “Dusty finishes” imaginable, providing zero payoff and cementing its legacy as an all-time creative disaster.

And there you have it—a look at some of the most infamous moments in WrestleMania’s long history. While the matches on this list are widely seen as creative and technical failures, any “worst of” ranking is ultimately a matter of opinion.

Now, we want to hear from you. What do you think is the absolute worst match in WrestleMania history? Did we miss any that deserve to be on this list? Share your own rankings.