In honor of WrestleMania 33, members of the PTBN Staff has gathered to create a series of 33 lists, all dedicated to the rich history of WWE’s grandest spectacle. Each contributor assigned a ranking of 1-10 and votes were tallied accordingly. We will be releasing one list per day, with the final list to be posted on April 1, 2017, the day prior to WrestleMania 33! Be sure to share your feedback with us on social media! You can view the complete series here!
Day Twenty-Four: Best WrestleMania Crowds
Others Getting Votes: Houston – WMXXV (14), New York City – WMI (12), Philadelphia – WMXV (10), East Rutherford – WM29 (9), Chicago – WM13 (8), Indianapolis – WMVIII (6), Las Vegas – WMIX (5), New York City – WMX (5), Los Angeles – WMVII (4), Miami – WMXXVIII (3), Los Angeles – WM21 (2), Santa Clara – WM31 (2)
10. Detroit – WrestleMania 23 (14 Points)
Highest Ranking: #6 (Chris Jordan)
Michigan doesn’t get WrestleMania that often but when they do, they make it count. The crowd here gave great reactions throughout the night for all three of the main events and especially gave a great reaction to the Money in the Bank opener making someone like Mr. Kennedy feel like a can’t miss star on the rise.
9. Chicago – WrestleMania 22 (18 Points)
Highest Ranking: #1 (Neil Trama)
Chicago and Allstate Arena is one of the meccas of WWE so it should come as no surprise that Mania 22 fared well. Another interesting caveat about this Mania is that it was the last one in a traditional “basketball” sized arena but it was when more and more people started travelling for WrestleMania. That combined to the lower seat count provided some of the unique crowd reactions you hear in the main event between Triple H and John Cena.
8. Boston – WrestleMania XIV (29 Points)
Highest Ranking: #3 (Chris Jordan)
WWF was slowly but surely building momentum and WMXIV blew the doors off the wrestling world introducing the Attitude Era. The crowd in Beantown matched that vitriol by having great reactions for the Michaels vs. Austin and Undertaker vs. Kane matches. Another two memorable moments are Pete Rose getting booed out of the building and Sable’s huge pop.
7. Seattle – WrestleMania XIX (34 Points)
Highest Ranking: #2 (Steve Riddle)
With a card as backloaded as WMXIX, it is possible that many crowds could have died out in the final matches. The work of the wrestlers in the final three matches ensured that didn’t happen but the Safeco crowd was right there with them. A baseball stadium is especially wide open leading to sound not being condensed but the reactions for Austin vs Rock and Angle vs Brock were well deserved for one of the greatest WrestleManias of all time.
6. New York City – WrestleMania XX (44 Points)
Highest Ranking: #4 (Glenn Butler, Mike Eller, Tim Capel, Jason Greenhouse & Brian Bayless)
Another persevering crowd as this show is super long. Between the filler and the useless tag matches, this New York City crowd remained true to form at least making a reaction for everything even it went against the company plan, es exemplified by the Brock vs Goldberg match. The reaction to the two title matches and Undertaker’s return are also pivotal moments making this a memorable crowd.
5. New Orleans – WrestleMania XXX (56 Points)
Highest Ranking: #2 (Steven Ferrari)
An amazing crowd that had euphoric highs while chanting YES when Daniel Bryan won the championship to utter shock and dismay when the Streak was broken. That swing of emotions is what really lingers when thinking about the WMXXX crowd. Even the opening nostalgic pop filled promo had the crowd really embracing the new vision of the WWE on this night.
4. Toronto – WrestleMania X8 (61 Points)
Highest Ranking: #1 (Glenn Butler & Tim Capel)
Hulk vs Rock. Need we say more? This crowd may not be as consistent as others on the list but it gave one of the best reactions to a match of all time and what could have been a nice moment really transpired into a true dream match because of Skydome’s reaction.
3. Toronto – WrestleMania VI (64 Points)
Highest Ranking: #2 (Scott Criscuolo & Jason Greenhouse)
A more consistent crowd than WMX8. The pop for Demolition’s tag title win was electric and the dynamic for the Ultimate Challenge really emphasized the split atmosphere that the match was going for overall. After being in the tepid Trump Plaza for two years, it was great to see Mania return to form crowd reaction wise with this one.
2. Houston – WrestleMania X7 (73 Points)
Highest Ranking: #1 (Scott Criscuolo, Mike Eller, Jason Greenhouse, Brian Payless & Steve Riddle)
An iconic crowd for an iconic show. This crowd stayed hot throughout the entire night and perhaps only had a bit of a misstep with the final moments of the show and the befuddlement of Steve Austin turning heel and joining forces with Vince McMahon.
1. Pontiac – WrestleMania III (77 Points)
Highest Ranking: #1 (Steven Ferrari & Chris Jordan)
I don’t know if it was 78,000 or 93,000 people screaming their heads off but I do know that this crowd is amazing. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant is again one of the most iconic crowd heat matches in wrestling history and the other moments from Roddy Piper’s farewell to the respect that was shown for Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage made WMIII the template of which all latter Manias would be judged against.
