9 Highest-Rated WWE WrestleMania Matches According To Dave Meltzer’s Star System

For understandable reasons, WWE have tried so hard to erase this match from fans’ memories that they have almost succeeded in making us forget just how good it was.

In the last WrestleMania to be held at Madison Square Garden, Chris Benoit’s crowning as World Heavyweight Champion is arguably best remembered for the emotional post-match celebration that holds a different, more sombre significance than WWE had hoped it would when they had him joined in the ring by close friend and WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero.

Just watching these closing moments - with the appropriately croaking voice of Jim Ross providing the poetic narration - will bring a tear to the eye of many fans. Discount all of the evil that followed this, and it is without doubt the best ending in WrestleMania history.

What is often overlooked when looking back is the outstanding in-ring action which preceded these scenes. Triple H and Shawn Michaels contributed to what is arguably the greatest triple threat match of all time - certainly to take place on The Grandest Stage Of Them All - and one rated just shy of perfect by Meltzer who gave it 4.75 stars.

The storytelling by all three men was mesmerising, particularly that of Triple H and Benoit who showed the lengths that they were willing to go to keep and win the title respectively, leading to an incredibly tense climax in which a bloodied ‘Game’ eventually tapped out to Benoit’s Crippler Crossface after nearly 90 seconds spent trying to escape the submission.