5 Opening WrestleMania Matches That Ruled (And 5 That Sucked)

4. Money In The Bank Ladder Match - WrestleMania 23

The third Money in the Bank ladder match in WWE history kicked off WrestleMania 23 in 2007. The concept had been used in the second match of the preceding two WrestleManias, but it was the perfect choice for an opening match. This MITB match also had, arguably, the most star power out of the lot. Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Edge, Randy Orton, King Booker, Finlay, Ken Kennedy and a young upstart named CM Punk did battle for the heralded briefcase, which would guarantee a World title shot within the space of one year to the victor. The action was fast and furious from the get-go, with all manner of brutal bumps and inventive spots occurring at a breakneck pace. Things really picked up a notch with Jeff Hardy's suicidal leg drop from the top of a ladder, through Edge and through another ladder, outside the ring. The breathtaking stunt took both men out of the match and then, one by one the rest of the combatants fell by the wayside, allowing the promising Kennedy to unhook the briefcase and secure himself a WWE title shot*. This one was almost 25 minutes of non-stop action which had the 80,000 plus in Ford Field on the edge of their seats for the duration. A hell of a way to kick off a PPV, this, and one of the best of the WrestleMania Money in the Bank ladder matches. *Kennedy didn't end up receiving his shot after all: Edge beat him for it in an impromptu match on the May 7th 2007 edition of Raw after Kennedy suffered an injury which was thought to be more serious than it actually was.