The Basics: 

16 individuals drafted every main show match in WrestleMania history (along with Neville vs Austin Aries from WrestleMania 33 to keep things even). This gives each person a total of 20 matches selected. The draft was conducted snake style so the individual that had the 16th pick in the draft also had the 17th pick to start round two. Each round will have an individual post leading up to WrestleMania 34 and the draft will culminate in our own Mel Kiper (Brad Woodling) giving his opinions and draft grades for how each person did overall. Place to Be Nation will also be able to vote on their favorite draft overall.

Round 3:

Pick #33: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (WrestleMania 1) – Selected by J Arsenio D’Amato

A historic match that changed the business and started the WrestleMania machine.

Pick #34: Rock & Sock vs Evolution (WrestleMania 20) – Selected by Todd Weber

I break one of my draft guidelines IMMEDIATELY and double-dip Rocky here with my 3rd pick. This match was a blast to watch, and it brought some of my all-time favorites (all of them current or guaranteed future WWE Hall-of-Famers) together in a memorable contest. Worth it just to get Flair and Foley on my card, as there just aren’t that many of their appearances out there.

Pick #35: The Big Show vs Floyd Mayweather (WrestleMania 24) – Selected by Stacey O’Louglin

This is my spectacle match – it’s one of the biggest (hyuk hyuk) celebrity matches ever, and also the best celebrity match ever. Floyd is perfect in his role, Show carries it beautifully, and they get so much out of every moment in the match. This is boatloads of fun from start to finish, and adds variety, star power and quality.

Pick #36: Triple H vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 28) – Selected by Greg Phillips

The best of their three WrestleMania encounters, this match has it all – epic drama, a years-long rivalry, and the inclusion of Shawn Michaels as the guest referee. It also contains one of the great nearfalls in WWE history. It may be divisive, but it’s a stone cold classic in my book.

 

Pick #37: Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart (WrestleMania 12) – Selected by Nick Duke

Here’s where I deviate from many other participants in several respects. First, I did not approach this project as an attempt to build an actual card that would play out in a single night, meaning I had no issue with repeating performers or titles in my draft. Second, I’ve always believed that the Iron Man match is a top 15 match in Mania history so I was pretty happy to see it still available in the 3rd round.

 

Pick #38: CM Punk vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 29) – Selected by Andy LaBar

Andy Pick: #3          Overall Pick: #38

It honestly blew my mind that this match was still available to pick at #38. It was the 6th Undertaker match drafted overall (both HBK matches, Batista, Edge and WM 28), but for my money, it rivals the HBK matches as his best Mania match, and I am pretty comfortable having it among his 5 best matches ever. At this point in his career, Undertaker was a “mega-match” machine, working a couple of matches each year, getting 4+ from Meltzer and defying old-body logic by giving his all. CM Punk is not quite on top of the world, but he’s still a tip-top personality, still fiery in the ring and still the undersized, over-egoed wrestler who you can BELIEVE could be the man to finally beat Taker. This match is great – from a pure workrate standpoint, the highlight of my entire card, and the fact that it’s not a main event or title match even improves it in my eyes. You watch this and you are gonna be HYPED for what comes after (even if it can’t live up to this match).

 

Pick #39: The British Bulldogs vs The Dream Team (WrestleMania 2) – Selected by Steven Ferrari

I have an irrational love for this match. It was the match that got me into tag team wrestling as a kid. Plus, it has Ozzy yelling “BRITISH BULLDOGS FOREVERRRRRRRR!”

Pick #40: Shawn Michaels vs Steve Austin (WrestleMania 14) – Selected by Jordan Duncan

One of my plans going into the draft was to make sure I get a high tier World Title match. While others may surpass this one in quality, it is iconic, has the Mike Tyson appearance and is the passing of the torch from Michaels to Austin, who was perhaps the hottest act in company history.

Pick #41: Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 33) – Selected by Aaron George

I wanted something that would draw in round 3, before all the legit draws got snapped up. Easily the best sub-five minute match ever at WrestleMania. These guys just went out and KILLED one another. Another intense, personal feud that was capped with a smash-mouth match that would make the XFL bleed with jealousy. They popped a crowd nearly seven hours into a show. They’ll kill it on my card.

Match time:    5 Mins

Show Time :   39 Mins

 

Pick #42: The Undertaker vs Ric Flair (WrestleMania 18) – Selected by Neil Trama

With my draft goals pretty clear, I knew I wanted to nab an actual good Undertaker match and I knew that I couldn’t wait too much longer or risk getting stuck with Mark Henry or King Kong Bundy or some crud along those lines, so I took this sneaky classic.

 

Pick #43: Hulk Hogan vs Vince McMahon (WrestleMania 19) – Selected by Scott Criscuolo

A match I really love simply because it had no business being as good as it was. Two 50-something year old guys who are in essence part time workers go all out and even bleed to put on an epic match on the biggest stage.

 

Pick #44: Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 21) – Selected by Brian Bayless

This was the inaugural Money in the Bank Ladder Match, a brand new concept that saw the winner receive a contract for a future title shot. This particular match ended up exceeding all expectations and then some. It was an incredible spectacle that was successful to the point it was brought back for several more WrestleMania shows until it became the headline match of its own yearly PPV. If this match tanked its likely the concept would have been scrapped altogether.

 

Pick #45: The Rock vs Steve Austin (WrestleMania 15) – Selected by Chad Campbell

I was eyeing a double main event and wanted this match to have some quality to it in ring to offset Hogan vs Andre. Rock vs Austin from Mania 15 fit this criteria the best. A putrid card but a main event that I think has been underrated over time even though it probably still is the worst of their three Mania matches. This encapsulated the good of the attitude era and had a feel good ending with Austin regaining the title and Vince’s golden boy being defeated.

Pick #46: Money in the Bank (WrestleMania 23) – Selected by Tim Capel

The MITB matches confer a ton of value, and the one I had earmarked was nabbed just two picks above me. I went with my second-favorite, and a pretty glorious clusterfuck at that. It gives me a swath of talent I wasn’t sure would be otherwise represented and a staple WrestleMania gimmick match.

 

Pick #47: Hulk Hogan vs Sgt. Slaughter (WrestleMania 7) – Selected by JT Rozzero

As a whole, I feel WrestleMania VII is undervalued so when I had a chance to nab another big time title match at the end of round three, I jumped at it. It gave me a big Hulk Hogan match and moment and a damn good in ring battle.

 

Pick #48: The Undertaker vs Kane (WrestleMania 14) – Selected by Jennifer Smith

Undertaker is another one of those guys I knew of from my lapsed fandom and I remember liking him.  This match was listed fairly highly on the PTBN article Ranking the Streak- The Undertaker at WrestleMania.