10 WWE WrestleMania Matches That Sadly Get Overlooked

Across 35 WrestleManias, there have been over 340 matches on the main pay-per-view broadcasts. Some of them have been utterly unforgettable and legendary (you know the ones), and others atrocious and ridiculous (you know the ones).

Some WrestleManias have featured between 14 and 16 matches, with a few shorties filling the cracks between the loftier fare. Other 'Manias featured only seven or eight matches, letting the more epic struggles have extra time to breathe.

Today's list is going to take a look at at some of the really good matches that don't exactly get enough credit. We're talking about the B+ matches, the matches that reside between three stars and three-and-a-half stars on the old subjective grading scale.

We've all spent plenty of oxygen extolling the virtues of Michaels vs. Undertaker, Hart vs. Austin, and Savage vs. Steamboat, now let's talk about some of those forgotten gems.

Some of the following entries are just really good matches that have been overlooked for reasons unclear, while others have been overshadowed by a more famous match or matches from the same card. Let's jump around to and fro in the time machine a bit, as we unearth some of those old WrestleMania classics.

Across 35 WrestleManias, there have been over 340 matches on the main pay-per-view broadcasts. Some of them have been utterly unforgettable and legendary (you know the ones), and others atrocious and ridiculous (you know the ones).

Some WrestleManias have featured between 14 and 16 matches, with a few shorties filling the cracks between the loftier fare. Other 'Manias featured only seven or eight matches, letting the more epic struggles have extra time to breathe.

Today's list is going to take a look at at some of the really good matches that don't exactly get enough credit. We're talking about the B+ matches, the matches that reside between three stars and three-and-a-half stars on the old subjective grading scale.

We've all spent plenty of oxygen extolling the virtues of Michaels vs. Undertaker, Hart vs. Austin, and Savage vs. Steamboat, now let's talk about some of those forgotten gems.

Some of the following entries are just really good matches that have been overlooked for reasons unclear, while others have been overshadowed by a more famous match or matches from the same card. Let's jump around to and fro in the time machine a bit, as we unearth some of those old WrestleMania classics.

10. Cody Rhodes Vs. Rey Mysterio (WrestleMania 27)

The intro of this article spoke of the opposite ends of the WrestleMania match gamut, the ecstasy and the agony.

The Undertaker and Triple H's fight into near-oblivion certainly represents the ecstasy, while its diametric opposite was that Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler match that is arguably the  worst WrestleMania match that surpassed one minute. On the shoulders of that Cole/Lawler backwoods atrocity, among some other low points, WrestleMania 27 is seen as one of the weaker 'Manias.

The undercard did boast some enjoyable fare, including a Captain America-cosplaying Mysterio taking on a pre-All Elite Rhodes that blended Patrick Bateman, Ted Bundy, and The Phantom of the Opera in one disturbingly-vain package.

Centered on an angle where a crazed Rhodes believed Mysterio had damaged his good looks, the two blended quality wrestling with some one-upmanship, particularly when Rhodes looks to employ weaponry.

The "Undashing" one eked out a win after 12 minutes, earning plenty of vocal love from the diehard Mania crowd, and the match went a good way in separating Rhodes from his Legacy lackey past.

9. Junkyard Dog & Tito Santana Vs. The Funk Brothers (WrestleMania 2)

Like WrestleMania 27, the second incarnation of 'Mania is generally placed on the lower end of the rankings.

Outside of the Steel Cage finale, The British Bulldogs winning the Tag Team belts, and Andre the Giant's Battle Royal win, there isn't all that much else (okay, the rather-needless three time zone set-up) that stands out historically. And that's a shame, because the match that went on before Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy's closer may have been match of the night, even edging out The Bulldogs vs. The Dream Team.

There's a lot to love here: JYD is still absolutely fantastic, while Santana is still an underappreciated wrestling god, and the two were ideal for the classic tag formula.

But even their shared greatness pales to 41-year-old Terry Funk bumping with endless vigour, taking hard falls onto concrete and even tables, back when the very idea of ECW was a mere glint in some milkman's eye.

This match kicks ass in any era, and in 1986, it's controlled chaos done extremely well.

8. Matt Hardy Vs. Jeff Hardy (WrestleMania 25)

This is what we mean by "overshadowed".

When I say "WrestleMania 25", you salivate and say, "Oooh, Shawn vs. Taker!" And you're damn right to do so,because most people would agree that that particular epic belongs in the top five WrestleMania matches ever.

And it's true, virtually everything else from 25 pales before the mighty Michaels/Taker battle for the ages - diminished Pipers and Snukas, horrible battle royals, IC title squashes, dull main events - but there is one exception.

The suddenly-wicked Matt Hardy was doing all he could to, umm... erase his brother? Eradicate his brother? Cancel his brother? Surely, there's a better word out there, one that accurately sums up the means by which Fragmented Matt went all hammer-and-tongs on his kid brother in an Extreme Rules match?

There were Attitude Era-style stunts and violence to go along with some subtle human chess on Matt's part, giving WrestleMania 25 the sort of undercard car wreck that keeps it from being merely a one-match show.

7. The Rockers Vs. Haku & The Barbarian (WrestleMania 7)

Within a year, Marty Jannetty would be extracting glass from his forehead on the floor of The Barber Shop, but for now, he and Shawn Michaels were still the same "tag team specialists" that enthralled crowds, mixing the frenetic athletics of The Young Bucks with the salesmanship and timing of The Revival.

Given enough time, The Rockers could steal any show they damn well pleased, though thanks to Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage's career-ending match, they had to settle for second place on this night in Los Angeles.

Haku and The Barbarian were the opponents in WrestleMania 7's opener, but they were more than just two beefy roadblocks for The Rockers to try and overcome. Both were highly-skilled, deceivingly-athletic brutes that not only bumped off of The Rockers' most dazzling strikes, but could fire back with punishing offense that looked great.

The two duos were natural foils, and with 10-plus minutes with which to work, they kicked off WrestleMania 7 with an absolute bang.

6. The Undertaker Vs. Diesel (WrestleMania 12)

It's a bit of a strange pehenominam that Undertaker's best WrestleMania matches didn't begin until he was in his forties - the battles with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, CM Punk, Edge, and Batista marked a seven-Mania run that began when "The Deadman" was 42.

There are a few decent matches pre-"life begins at 40" for Undertaker, and the one in this entry was probably the first WrestleMania match of his that you could call "pretty good."

The fifth win in Undertaker's Streak came against an outbound Kevin Nash, whose last day with WWE sat two months ahead. The pair had issues since the end of 1995, and after each cost each other the WWE Championship at consecutive pay-per-views, the monsters collided at WrestleMania 12.

By this time, Undertaker was toning down some of his character's inhumanity, and his more energetic brawling matched up well with a Diesel that was proud to do the honours for a man he respected.

It's a very good power-based brawl, even if most people remember 12 more for the Iron Man closer.

5. Chris Jericho Vs. Christian (WrestleMania 20)

WrestleMania 20 made the bloated duration of a WrestleMania night work by mixing in some shorter bouts in between the heavier entries, making the night feel like an old school WrestleMania in some ways.

Most memories lie with the now-heartbreaking conclusion of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero standing tall, the excellent matches that each won, Undertaker's grand re-entrance, and The Rock clowning Ric Flair.

Jericho and Christian, meanwhile, had an intriguing grudge, and they boosted the show's undercard with some fantastic wrestling. Their feud centered around Jericho's curious puppy-dog crush on Trish Stratus, and Christian trying to knock some sense into his lovesick friend (WWE realises the fans knew Jericho was married, right?).

The match itself was as thrilling as it was workmanlike, with Christian even busting out a Texas Cloverleaf for the occasion (which should make it an Ontario Maple Leaf).

A controversial finish involving Trish would lead to the innovator of Stratusfaction's shocking heel turn and alignment with Captain Charisma.

Overall, this match will remind just how underrated Christian truly was, and that WrestleMania 20 had more great memories than just the contemporary choices.

4. The Steiner Brothers Vs. The Headshrinkers (WrestleMania 9)

Ahh, WrestleMania 9 - in a shipment of 34 bags of grain, this would be the one that has the dead mice inside.

Between Bret Hart's WWE title reign, Hulk Hogan usurping the spotlight, and Undertaker trying to get something decent out of a glorified Bayley Buddy covered in minks, WrestleMania 9 was pretty gosh-darn bad. In fact, once you get past the first two matches, you're swimming in a septic tank the rest of the way.

The opener was Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka for the IC title. The second match was this tag team brawl.

When you put the Steiners and Headshrinkers together, you have four men who go the extra mile when it comes to jacking someone's jaw, and this match is as violent as you can get without resorting to deathmatch implements.

At one juncture, Scott Steiner takes a flapjack over the top rope and appears to just die. In another stunning moment, Rick catches one Headshrinker in a Powerslam - while sitting on the other's shoulders. It's some high-concept material, setting a high bar that nothing that followed came close to clearing.

3. The Chicago Street Fight (WrestleMania 13)

When the dust settled on Bret Hart and Steve Austin's masterpiece of a Submission Match, it was hard fathom anything ever topping it.

History is even kinder to the match, as not only does the action hold up, but Austin's success in the six years after add more gravity to his blood-soaked limp up the aisle, under a torrent of applause.

It's a "chill" moment like nothing before or since, and really, what could follow that?

Ahmed Johnson, The Legion of Doom, and The Nation of Domination had their work cut out for them that night, sitting in a rather unenviable position. But all things considered, they delivered what was expected of them and then some, brawling with no end in sight during 11 minutes of pure anarchy.

There's barely a structure, and nary a breather, as the six men, plus the Nation's various underlings, just beat the hell out of other from bell-to-bell, and even after the second bell. The match is a template for the hardcore matches that followed over the years, with no contrivance, and no filler.

2. The Undertaker Vs. Ric Flair (WrestleMania 18)

Nothing from WrestleMania 18, not even a pretty good Triple H/Chris Jericho main event, was going to be the topic of conversation that the Hulkamania rebirth was.

To have watched that match in the moment was to have been mesmerised by the entire scene, everything else from inside the SkyDome be damned.

Tucked into the undercard was a very good fight with a story to it, and it's an often overlooked bit of WrestleMania lore.

First off, the match is historic simply because the win brought Undertaker's WrestleMania total into the double digits, which Undertaker silently acknowledged (thus beating Tye Dillinger to the punch by more than a decade).

But the match itself saw an ageing Flair fighting a losing battle against a remorseless fiend that tormented his friends and family, all with a smile on his face.

Flair almost brings Undertaker to his knees after several valiant comeback attempts, but neither those, nor Arn Anderson's wicked Spinebuster, could slay the resilient monster. It's more than just a bloody battle - the character motivations therein add so much to what could've been just a one-note hardcore match.

1. The Ultimate Warrior Vs. Rick Rude (WrestleMania 5)

The Warrior gets a lot of deserved grief for different reasons, and in the realm of wrestling, his "workrate" takes its share of lumps. Others have noted the inspired fare that Warrior has produced with skilful opponents, three of which took place at WrestleMania.

He and Randy Savage wove a masterful tale at WrestleMania 7, while he and Hulk Hogan created the gold standard for hero-vs-hero epics the previous year.

His IC title match with Rude at WrestleMania 5 may take third place in this trio, but it's nonetheless a great showing.

"Ravishing Rick" may have had his cowardly traits as a character, but as a worker, Rude could sell like crazy, as well as deliver credible offense.

His upset victory over Warrior saw him take to the air with a sky-scraping Missile Dropkick, before doing all he can to match power with his muscular rival.

When reined in and working to tell a story, Warrior was an effective performer, and with a versatile pro like Rude across the ring, they could do so much together.

Their rematch at that year's SummerSlam is perhaps even better than their WrestleMania 5 battle, but both more than worth a look.