THE TOP 10 WRESTLEMANIA SURPRISES

WrestleMania is the biggest event on the wrestling calendar, and like any good big event, it has historically delivered huge surprises for its fans. Whether it’s a turn, a return, or just a jaw dropping result, there are no shortage of massive moments at the grandest stage of them all. Let’s look at 10 of the biggest Wrestlemania surprises of all time.

 

#10 Owen Pins Bret

The build-up to the main event at WrestleMania 10 had so many moving parts. Yokozuna, Lex Luger, and Bret Hart were all going to get title matches, but not in a triple threat. Instead, first Lex and Yoko would face each other, and the winner would then face Bret Hart at the end of the night. However, to keep things fair, Bret would wrestle against his brother Owen to start the show. People thought it would be a foregone conclusion that Bret and Owen would have a great match, but ultimately Bret would come out on top. After all, why would he lose to his snotty little brother if he was going to face the champ later on in the night? Well, Owen surprised everybody when he got a clean rollup victory on his big brother. Bret would go on to win the title at the end of the night, with a jealous Owen standing in the entrance, seething. This would set up an amazing summer rivalry between the siblings, and Owen would go on to have an amazing singles career of his own. 

 

#9 Cody Rhodes Return 

Perhaps the worst kept secret in wrestling, Cody Rhodes returned to the WWE after a nearly 5 year hiatus from the company. In that time, he went on the indie circuit, having dream match after dream match. Once that wasn’t enough, he helped start the first wrestling company to legitimately challenge WWE for supremacy in nearly 20 years. Then, once he felt like the company was going in a different direction, he decided to re-enter the WWE. He was a surprise opponent for Seth Rollins, and while everybody was pretty sure he’d be back, nobody could say for certain. Perhaps the most shocking part of his return was the fact that he kept the same music he was using in AEW. As soon as the crowd heard “Wrestling has more than one royal family” they exploded, and the newest era of WWE had officially begun. 

 

#8 Hogan Slams Andre

After going all in on WrestleMania 1, and attempting a three city simulcast for WrestleMania 2, the WWE wanted to one-up itself once again, and so they set their sights on breaking the indoor attendance record. Realizing they needed a huge attraction to pack the Pontiac Silverdome, WWE had Andre the Giant turn heel and challenge Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship. It seemed like Andre would be the one to finally end Hulkamania. However, with (supposedly) 93,000 screaming Hulkamaniacs behind him, Hulk Hogan was able to bodyslam the 500 lb giant and get the win. The clip of this historic feat has been replayed in perpetuity, and for that reason, it deserves a spot on this list. 

​

#7 Austin Turns Heel 

Wrestlemania 17 might go down as the greatest WrestleMania of all time. The card was headlined by the return match between The Rock and perennial fan favorite Stone Cold Steve Austin. As the match was nearing its conclusion, Mr. McMahon went to ringside, and everybody assumed he was going to screw over Austin and help the Rock. After all, that had been the playbook for the better part of the past 3 years. However, McMahon instead helped Austin get a victory, and after he got the three count, Austin shook hands with the devil himself and aligned with his mortal enemy Mr. McMahon. It's pretty universally agreed that this was ultimately a bad move, as nobody really wanted to boo Austin, and overall it was just extremely illogical. However, there’s no doubt that the moment itself left everybody wide eyed and slack jawed.

​

#6 Hardy Boyz Return 

The tag team title match at WrestleMania 33 was scheduled to be a triple threat ladder match between Gallows & Anderson, Enzo Amore & Big Cass, and The Bar. However, when WrestleMania hosts The New Day interrupted just before the opening bell and announced a fourth team was going to be competing in the match, most people probably assumed they were going to interject themselves into the match. Instead, they brought out the returning Hardy Boyz. The crowd exploded as the greatest ladder match tag team in wrestling history was once again back in the WWE. Spoiler alert, the Hardys won. 

 

#5 Hogan’s Impromptu Championship

After a year away from the WWE, Hulk Hogan made his return at WrestleMania 9, where he teamed up with Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake in a tag team match against Money, Inc. The match was entirely too long and ended in a Dusty finish, but the fans seemed satisfied enough with seeing the Hulkster in the ring once again. What nobody counted on, however, was that after Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart in the main event, the Hulkster would come down to the ring, in a “show of support” for Bret Hart. For reasons unknown, Yokozuna’s manager Mr. Fuji then challenged Hogan to an impromptu title match. Hogan accepted, won in like 20 seconds, and Bret Hart was officially buried. It made absolutely no sense, and the boys in the back seemed to hate it, but the fans in attendance were ecstatic, so who are we to argue? Hogan would thankfully drop the title back to Yokozuna a few months later, and all would be right in the world again. 

 

#4 Austin-Hitman Double Turn

Heading into WrestleMania 13, all eyes were on the submission match between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Bret, who had been a fan favorite for nearly a decade, was becoming a bitter, angry man who felt like everybody was screwing him over. Conversely, Steve Austin, who would be an out-and-out heel in any prior generation of wrestling, was building an incredible amount of support, and changing the way fans viewed “good guys” and “bad guys.” While the seeds had already been planted, nobody really expected to see a full double turn throughout the match. Hart would use a lot of unnecessary violence and cheap tactics, and despite getting the better of Austin, the Rattlesnake never gave up. He passed out in a bloody heap. The image of a bloody Austin refusing to tap has become nothing short of iconic. The match is one of the all time greats, and has recently been named the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time, largely due to the incredible story these two told on their way to a double turn. 

 

#3 Randy and Liz reunited 

Wrestlemania 7 featured an incredible match between the Macho Man Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. This match was undoubtedly the greatest in-ring match of the Warrior’s career. However, nobody really cared about the Warrior’s victory because after the match, Savage’s longtime manager, Miss Elizabeth was spotted at ringside. Liz came into the ring and a befuddled Randy stared her down. It had been two years since they went their separate ways, and many people they’d never thought they’d see these two together again.  When Randy finally embraced The First Lady of Wrestling, the crowd gave them the loudest pop of the night. Sure, it may have been the most toxic relationship of all time, but who cares? Love is love, and if you don’t shed a tear when Randy throws Liz up onto his shoulder, check your pulse. 

 

#2 Heist of the Century 

Going into WrestleMania 31, fans seemed to be underwhelmed about the main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Reigns was coming off his notorious Royal Rumble win, and fans were annoyed with Lesnar’s very part time schedule. Most people wanted to see both of these guys lose, but how could that happen? Enter Seth Rollins. After eating the greatest RKO of all time and losing to Randy Orton, most people had not even considered Rollins could return in the main event and cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. However, he did just that and the crowd absolutely erupted for a character who was an absolute heel in every sense of the word. THAT’S how bad they hated Reigns and Lesnar. He cashed in successfully, swung the title around his head like the Ultimate Warrior, and the crowd went home unexpectedly happy. 

 

#1 Lesnar Ends the Streak 

Going into WrestleMania 30, the Undertaker’s record at The Showcase of the Immortals was a staggering 21-0. While nobody would argue that Brock Lesnar is a formidable opponent, most people weren’t giving him much of a chance in this match. Lesnar was extremely part time, and the build going into this match was nothing compared to the Undertaker’s previous five WrestleMania matches (Shawn Michaels x2, Triple H x2, and CM Punk). That made it all the more surprising when, after hitting him with an F5, Lesnar covered the Undertaker and ended the streak. An uncomfortable silence filled the arena, and the fan reactions have become legendary memes, for in that moment, the fans had just witnessed the most surprising WrestleMania moment of all time.