100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments
28. Women Headline For The First Time (WrestleMania 35)
Two things make it difficult to rank this one any higher.
Firstly, the ref mucked up the finish by counting a Becky Lynch crucifix pin on Ronda Rousey even though 'Rowdy's' shoulders clearly weren't down on the mat. That wasn't supposed to be the ending, so official Rod Zapata took a ton of flak behind the scenes for effectively ruining the single most important match on the interminable 'Mania 35 card.
Second, Rousey's love/hate/never really true love but definitely lots of hate relationship with the pro wrestling business and its fanbase since has soured many on her positioning in 2019. Ronda never seemed to grasp basic things like, y'know...sometimes the audience turns on wrestlers and boos them rather than thinking they're God's gift permanently. That has hurt any legacy she hoped to build after coming over from MMA.
Now for the good stuff. The 'Mania 35 headliner was a legitimate history maker. Becky, Ronda and Charlotte Flair became the first women to main event the biggest show of the year, and that was significant progress for the division. Who knows how many young girls this trio inspired by bucking the WWE trend and pipping dudes to the banner match slot?! Presumably thousands, at least.
It should never be overlooked how important this was for women's wrestling. Lynch herself had gone from pre-show fare to one of the hottest acts in the entire industry by crafting her rebellious 'The Man' character, and everyone agreed these ladies deserved to go on last.
Sure, it would've been better without the botched finish and might've scored even higher had it been Becks vs. Ronda one on one, but this was history.