Biggest WrestleMania Drop-Offs In WWE History

When it comes to WrestleMania matches, not every WWE star has had consistent performances on The Grandest Stage.

Although Mania is the biggest show on the pro wrestling calendar with more than 4 decades of rich history, some stars found themselves unable to achieve the same highs of the last match. From lower stakes to a lower quality opponent or just being lowered from main event status to an afterthought bathroom break match, WrestleMania has seen some stark contrasts year on year.

Whether it be Sgt. Slaughter, The Miz or even Steve Austin, multiple WWE stars have seen their Mania spots drop drastically compared to the previous year…

Biggest WrestleMania Drop-Offs In WWE History:

Sgt. Slaughter – WrestleMania 7 to WrestleMania 8

Following his heel turn by becoming an Iraqi sympathiser and subsequent WWF Championship reign, Slaughter became the ultimate anti-American hero in the promotion, meaning that there would only be one man in the company who could wrestle the title away, Hulk Hogan. Following Slaughter’s loss to Hogan, Sarge never reigned with the title again, and would not be featured as prominently the following year. Instead, Slaughter found himself in an 8-man tag at WrestleMania 8, which saw him team with Virgil, The Big Boss Man and Jim Duggan to defeat The Mountie, The Nasty Boys and Repo Man.

King Kong Bundy – WrestleMania 2 to WrestleMania 3

While the debate of who had the biggest drop off from Mania to Mania can be subjective, many believe that it was King Kong Bundy who had the biggest fall from grace over the 12-month period. In 1986, Bundy was in the final match of the 2nd WrestleMania as he challenged Hogan for the WWF Championship inside a steel cage. The following year, Bundy was on the card for WrestleMania III, one of the most historic iterations of the event, but was nowhere near the title picture. Instead, Bundy teamed with Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook in a losing effort to Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid, and Little Beaver. The match lasted less than 3 and a half minutes,

The Miz – WrestleMania 27 to WrestleMania 28

Headlining WrestleMania 27 against John Cena, WWE Champion The Miz was one of the select few to pick up a win over John Cena on The Grandest Stage, albeit with a major assist from The Rock. While Miz ended up being the third most important part of a singles match, there no taking away from the fact that he walked in and out of the biggest show of the year as WWE Champion. However, one year on, Miz found himself as part of a 12-man tag match that saw Team John Laurinaitis face Team Teddy Long. A forgettable match on the show, Miz fell a long way from the main event, which saw Rock and Cena face off for the first time.

Steve Austin – WrestleMania 17 to WrestleMania 18

2001 saw Steve Austin headline what is widely considered to be the greatest Mania of all time when he faced off against The Rock in the second match of their trilogy. Although Rock was given another classic match one year later when he faced Hulk Hogan in their icon vs. icon match at Mania 18, Austin’s match was not as memorable. Given a mid-card match against Scott Hall with no championships or stakes, this was not one of the classics in the Austin catalogue.

The Usos – WrestleMania 39 to WrestleMania 40

An integral part of The Bloodline Saga in 2023, Jimmy and Jey reigned as the Tag Team Champions while also doing everything in their power to keep Roman Reigns as the top champion in the company. At WrestleMania 39, the brothers headlined night 1 of the show as they put their titles on the line against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Ending the show on a much more positive note than the next night, Zayn and Owens brought The Usos’ record-breaking reign to an end to give the fans a feel-good moment in Los Angeles. However, one year later, Jimmy and Jey had a Mania to forget. Facing off against each other following Jey’s defection, the brothers had a match that was panned by fans and critics, and was also dubbed the worst match of 2024 by many publications. WrestleMania 40 is regarded as a nearly perfect show, but it’s this match that is the asterisk.

The Undertaker – WrestleMania 18 to 19

Although The Undertaker was undefeated in 21 consecutive WrestleMania matches, not every bout was a classic. While the battles with Shawn Michaels and Edge were very worthy of being featured, there will always be that Giant Gonzalez match. However, in what is one of the least surprising statements in wrestling, putting Undertaker and Ric Flair together in a wrestling match results in something memorable for all the right reasons. One of the better matches in The Streak, and with a great cameo from Arn Anderson, The Deadman and The Nature Boy proved they could still go in 2002. Unfortunately, one year later, The Undertaker found himself in a throwaway match that saw him take on A-Train and Big Show in a handicap match. The Nathan Jones run-in didn’t help matters, as Undertaker found himself lost in the shuffle.

Brock Lesnar – WrestleMania 31 to 32

In 2015, Lesnar was the reigning WWE Champion and put the title on the line against Roman Reigns in their first encounter and Reigns’ first Mania main event. Even though the Lesnar vs. Reigns rivalry was greatly overstretched over the next few years, their first match was one of the better ones in the feud, largely thanks to Seth Rollins’ Money in the Bank cash-in to steal the championship away at the end of the show. The following year, Lesnar faced Dean Ambrose in a no holds barred match. Given that the man now known as Jon Moxley is no stranger to violence and Lesnar also having a history in no DQ matches, there was potential for this to be an exciting encounter. Unfortunately, with little in the way of brutality, the match became a major letdown on what was ultimately a mediocre show.

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