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

The rematch 12 months on may not have produced quite the same quality of in-ring work, but the build up to The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels’ WrestleMania XXVI encounter more than made up for that, to help deliver the WWE rareity that is a successful sequel.

So deep was HBK’s desperation to avenge his previous loss and end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak that he was willing to throw D-Generation X brother Triple H out of the Royal Rumble, cost ‘The Phenom’ his World Heavyweight Championship in a shocking twist at Elimination Chamber 2010, and put his 26-year wrestling career on the line.

With the increased stakes, these two were able to repeat the drama of the first instalment whilst simultaneously creating a very different showcase, utilizing the no-countout stipulation to make use of the surroundings, including a devastating Tombstone to the arena floor, and an elegant Michaels’ moonsault through ‘Taker on the commentary table.

One thing that was the same was the result, with HBK effectively inviting ‘The Deadman’ to put him into retirement, mimicking his rest in piece slit across the throat as he lay prone on his knee, in a poetic callback to how he had put Ric Flair down at WrestleMania XXIV.

Meltzer could not split the two matches, also awarding this one 4.75 stars. If we could combine the 2009 action with the 2010 story, we would be entering 6-star territory.