10 Most Overrated WWE WrestleMania Moments

5. Mickey Rourke Punches Chris Jericho - WrestleMania XXV

Cena WrestleMania XXVIII
WWE.com

Chris Jericho's WrestleMania XXV appearance generated quite the range of emotions.

The first half of his three-on-one handicap match opposite Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper and Ricky Steamboat was throughly depressing. Piper was incapable of doing anything out there. That he fell on his a*se, having failed to connect with a dropkick, literally highlighted his physical decline.

Snuka was capable of doing even less than that. He struck Jericho with a few weak blows, but he couldn't get himself into position to adequately sell the Walls of Jericho, much less take a bump. Then, in one of the most inexplicable and low-key heartwarming moments in WrestleMania history, Ricky Steamboat (fifteen years retired) flew across the ring and floored Jericho with a cross body block, before rolling back those years and pinging him around the ring with his beautiful trademark arm drags. He looked wobbly when he tried to skin the cat, but it was a ruse - he recovered to send Jericho flying before vaulting out of the ring with an astonishingly agile slingshot crossbody block.

That three-minute exhibition was a short-form masterclass of psychology and suspense - and yet, when it was over, The Wrestler leading man Mickey Rourke - the man who felt wrestling a match was beneath him - was parachuted in to soak up the atmosphere and lay Jericho out.

It was an empty, emotionless publicity stunt - almost as depressing as Piper's fall from grace.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!