The Greatest Talents to Never Main Event WrestleMania

Well, we nigh upon the eve of WrestleMania 38. WWE’s biggest show of the year, the Super Bowl of sports entertainment!. Thankfully now a 2-night extravaganza as opposed to the bloated seemingly day-long event that it had become prior to the pandemic, every wrestling fan gets excited for WrestleMania weekend. As someone who was not born until 6 months after the first WrestleMania, I have been lucky enough to see every Mania since (and joke that I watched the first show live from the womb!) and witnessed all of its highs and lows, of which there are many.

With all of that in mind, what better time of the year to discuss the WrestleMania main event. Considered by many to be the absolute holy grail of the industry, only a select number of men and women can lay claim to having performed in the main event at the Showcase of the Immortals. But today, we are going to look at the opposite side of the coin, looking more into the men and women who, given their pedigree and ability, seemed destined to one day headline the show, but for one reason or another, never did. These are the greatest talents to never main event WrestleMania, and when it would have made the most sense for them to have done so.

Who: CM Punk

When It Could Have Been: WrestleMania 29

Actual Main Event: The Rock vs. John Cena

What It Should Have Been: The Rock vs. CM Punk vs. John Cena

If you saw the name of this article, there’s a damned good chance you clicked on it expecting to see this name. One of CM Punk’s biggest gripes both during and after his controversial WWE exit was that he was constantly looked over and never given the opportunity to headline WrestleMania, something he felt he had both earned and deserved due to not only his constant excellent performances but due to the fact that at one point, he was the most over guy on the roster and was helping carry the company on his back. 

The most logical time for Punk to be in the main event would easily have been at WrestleMania 29, a show that he, depending on whom you believe, was slotted to the main event in a triple threat with The Rock and John Cena. It made logical sense. Punk was always pitted against Cena, almost a parallel in many ways, and his record-setting (at the time anyway) title reign had just been ended by The Rock at that year’s Royal Rumble. The upsides to this scenario were numerous, most notably allowing WWE to still keep the prior year’s Mania main event between Rock and Cena as still truly “Once In A Lifetime” by having Punk inserted. It also would have given The Rock a break in the match, allowing him to not have to work as much as Cena and Punk could do the heavy lifting of the match’s quality. Looking back, the only real downside to this would have been we would not have gotten the incredible CM Punk and Undertaker match that happened that year, arguably one of the better matches of The Streak but unfortunately forgotten due to Punk’s WWE relationship and being slotted between Taker’s matches with Shawn Michaels and Triple H but before the infamous end of The Streak at WrestleMania 30.

Who: Ric Flair

When It Could Have Been: WrestleMania VIII

Actual Main Event: Sid Justice vs. Hulk Hogan

What It Should Have Been: Ric Flair vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (WWF Championship Match)

Perhaps the most cut-and-dry example we will have on this list. Up until the 8th WrestleMania, the WWF Title was either competed for or the Champion was featured in the main event of every show. And it’s also insane to think that Ric Flair, considered by many to be one of, if not the, greatest wrestlers to ever live, never actually headlined the Showcase of the Immortals. Over the years, Flair had many memorable Mania matches, notably his encounter with The Undertaker at WrestleMania X8 and of course his “retirement match” with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24, but the best match he ever had on the biggest stage was his WWF Championship match with Randy Savage at WrestleMania VIII. Many expected the original match to be Flair and Hogan since it was the first time both men were competing for the same company, but due to a mix of underwhelming house show bouts and very likely some backstage politicking, the match was not to be.

Instead, the 8th WrestleMania was switched around to feature Hulk Hogan facing Sid Justice and Flair facing off against Savage. It seemed logical that the WWF Championship match would close out the show, but for whatever reason it was decided that Hogan and Sid would be the main event. Given that the Flair/Savage match was a banger and the Sid/Hogan affair was clunky and brought down even further by a botched ending spot, this choice is not remembered fondly. And it also would have given Flair perhaps the one accolade he is missing from his illustrious career as a WrestleMania main eventer.

Who: Owen Hart

When It Could Have Been: WrestleMania XI

Actual Main Event: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Laurence Taylor

What It Should Have Been: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WWF Championship Match)

This one involves quite a bit of shuffling, but looking back, it would have made sense and been a perfect ending to a year-long story. At Royal Rumble 1994, Owen Hart turned on his brother Bret out of jealousy and kicked his leg out from under his leg. This would lead to their epic encounter in the opening match of WrestleMania X, considered by many to be the greatest opening match in Mania history. While Owen would win the bout, Bret would be the one leaving Madison Square Garden with the WWF Championship, defeating Yokozuna in the main event, righting the wrong from the previous year’s convoluted main event.

Following up on Owen winning the King Of The Ring tournament, the two battled in the big blue steel cage at SummerSlam in what should have been the main event of that show but was bumped for the horrendous Undertaker vs. Underfaker match. Following Bret’s victory at the show, he ended up moving into a feud with the newly heel Bob Backlund, which led to a transitional reign for Backlund to Diesel. But in this alternate timeline, Bret retains to build the feud with Owen to a crescendo at WrestleMania XI, which needed all the help it could get to be a better show. Bret and Owen can go on last, slotting both Diesel/Michaels in a more personal heated feud ender without the title, and of course, Taylor and Bigelow both in the semi-main positions. Owen deserved it.

Who: Kevin Owens

When It Could Have Been: WrestleMania 33

Actual Main Event: The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns

What It Should Have Been: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship Match)

There was arguably no hotter pairing in WWE from 2016 through early 2017 than Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho. On the back of KO winning the Universal Championship in a controversial manner after it had been vacated by an injured Finn Balor and the Jimmy Jacobs collaborative idea that brought to life the List of Jericho, anytime that Jericho and Owens were on screen was appointment viewing in a relative downtime for the business. Following the infamous “Festival of Friendship” which saw KO do what he does best, turn on his friend, it was clear that Owens and Jericho were set for a showdown at the biggest show of the year. 

Enter Goldberg, who WWE felt needed the Universal Championship for his match against Brock Lesnar, and everything seemingly fell apart, which resulted in a lackluster United States Championship match that went on second. The match would later become infamous due to the interaction between Owens and Vince McMahon himself post-match, with Vinny Mac stating that they were “not good” after the match, leaving Owens devastated. Unfortunately, the real devastation is the neutering of arguably the hottest feud in the business at the time, just to give a little extra glow on a match that did not need it. This was also instrumental in Jericho leaving WWE first for New Japan then into AEW, so one has to wonder what could have been had the two been allowed to go out and end the night with the right amount of time needed to tell the whole story. Thankfully, Owens still has time to rectify this wrong and get his Mania main event, possibly as early as this year’s show.

Who: Rhea Ripley

When It Could Have Been: WrestleMania 36 (Night One)

Actual Main Event: The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles (Boneyard Match)

What It Should Have Been: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair (NXT Women’s Championship)

Looking back, it’s a miracle that WWE pulled off WrestleMania 36 given the circumstances of the time. The COVID-19 pandemic had just shut the world down, but that would not stop WWE from putting on their biggest show. While it was still the early stages and we ended up with a mediocre show and presentation due to the Performance Center being used, credit must be given for making it work at all. The first WrestleMania to be expanded over two nights (something that has thankfully remained and was much needed given how bloated the shows were becoming), the first night was headlined by the cinematic Boneyard Match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles. Now that we know this was actually the Deadman’s last match it carries a certain weight to it, but it still did not need to go on last. On a show as big as WrestleMania, it should end with an actual wrestling match, a perfect example of this philosophy would come the very next night with the Firefly Fun House match being played before Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre main evented the evening. So what better match on the first night than to put the bout between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair?

Given WWE’s reliance on The Queen as their top female, sometimes to their own detriment, it makes sense to give her that spot, while also instantly elevating Ripley as a main player. This also would have been a great example of the importance of what we now know as NXT 1.0, especially since many fans had lost faith in the main roster creative’s ability to keep their NXT favorites on an important level. This will likely be the most controversial entry on this list, and much like Owens, Ripley still has tons of time in her career to main event the Show of Shows. 

By no means is this a comprehensive list, with many names like Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect being left out, as it would simply require a complete reboot of their storylines to make things work, so think of it more as a taste of the idea. What superstars are on your own list as the Greatest to never main event WrestleMania?