33 WWE WrestleMania Opening Matches Ranked From Worst To Best

16. William Regal Vs. Chris Jericho - WrestleMania X-Seven

Triple H Daniel Bryan WrestleMania XXX
WWE.com

The greatest WrestleMania of all time did not present the greatest 'Mania opening match. Nor did it disgrace what followed: Regal Vs. Jericho was, in a word, serviceable, narrowly edging out bouts that were superior for their time by virtue of relativity. Only landing a glancing blow with a slingshot over-the-top-rope crossbody, and miraculously avoiding drilling through Regal's head with the wrong appendage after a top-rope back elbow smash, Jericho's timing was off throughout what otherwise was a bruising, short affair.

Regal's character work was spotless, at least, waiting only a millisecond to wave to the crowd after smashing Y2J into the ring post.

Contributor
Contributor

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!