25 Best Wrestling Shows EVER

21. WWE WrestleMania 24

Edge The Undertaker
WWE.com

When people talk about WrestleMania 17's timeless brilliance, they gush about the sheer range of the show - but while it's not as great nor as iconic, WrestleMania 24 was also a fantastic expression of pro wrestling's endless wonder. 

The opener remains a much-loved cult gem. JBL's win over Finlay in a Belfast Brawl was a brisk dumbass plunder brawl between two old men taking senseless risks with an absolutely fabulous black comedy undercurrent. You know the spot that take is in reference to. More athletic men did more spectacular things with weapons in the Money In The Bank Ladder match. This wasn't the best offering in that particular genre, but it was still very exciting. 

In the tonal antithesis to that match, Shawn Michaels retired Ric Flair in an immortal moment after a match that could not possibly be bad; even when it was clunky, the pathos of watching Flair fail was agonising and inordinately effective on a dramatic level. His desperate heel work in the babyface role was a perfect subversion of standard wrestling psychology. 

Randy Orton Vs. John Cena Vs. Triple H was just about worthy of the WWE title match slot, and as uninspiring and familiar as the combination of talent was, there's a reason WWE constantly opted for variations of it: this generated a big, sustained reaction. The most underrated celebrity match ever expanded the scope of the show further, when Floyd Mayweather, Jr. shockingly played the role of heel stooge to perfection in a wildly entertaining and knowingly overbooked spectacle against the Big Show. 

And, in one of the best Streak matches ever, Edge grasped how to make his character work against the might of the Undertaker in a savvy, counter-driven masterclass. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!