Why WWE WrestleMania No Longer Has The Best Matches Of The Year
9. WrestleMania XVIII To WrestleMania 35: Part-Timers Take Over (II)
The retirement of Shawn Michaels was a big blow to WrestleMania's MOTY hopes. That same year, 'Mania hosted its last Money in The Bank Ladder Match.
The Undertaker took Michaels' role from then on, working three acclaimed matches against Triple H (twice) and CM Punk. But unlike his rival, 'Taker did not opt to end on a high note. The cruel irony (shout-out to JR) is that the same person whose presence on the 'Mania card had been a quality wrestling stamp of approval for close to a decade became synonymous with the exact opposite: from the 30th edition onwards, The Deadman's WM bouts were guaranteed stinkers.
And since then, no one filled their illustrious shoes to become the guarantor of WrestleMania greatness. Punk could've, if he hadn't left. Daniel Bryan could've, if he hadn't got injured, and/or been booked better.
Tellingly, D-Bry's been involved in the last four men’s MOTY contenders to happen on the so-called grandest stage: his double effort at WMXXX, his match against Kofi at WM35, and his triple threat with Edge and Roman Reigns last year.