WWE Changed The WrestleMania Main Event

Most fans will be happy with WWE finally deciding to let Cody Rhodes choose Roman Reigns as his WrestleMania opponent so that he can finally "finish his story." However, it did look like the promotion was prepared to do away with its long-term story in favor of a main event which featured The Rock, which would have been a booking disaster.

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This is not the first time WWE has changed plans in regard to the main event of WrestleMania, as there have been a number of surprises over the four decades the marquee event has existed. The road to WrestleMania is always filled with twists and turns, which can lead to mixed results on 'The Grandest Stage of Them All.'

Ted DiBiase Almost Became WWE Champion

Randy Savage Ended Up Winning The Title At WrestleMania 4

• A Tournament Was Held At WrestleMania 4 To Crown A New WWE Champion, Which Randy Savage Won
• Andre The Giant Had Been Stripped Of The Title For Attempting To Sell It To Ted DiBiase

The crowning moment of 'Macho Man' Randy Savage at WrestleMania 4 is remembered more fondly for him winning the WWE Championship than for the quality of action on the night. The event was highlighted by a tournament to crown the new champion, with Savage defeating 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase in the final.

Originally, DiBiase was supposed to win the belt whilst Savage would dethrone Honky Tonk Man as Intercontinental Champion, but Honky apparently was not keen on dropping the belt. Thus, Savage would win the world title so that there would be at least one babyface champion being crowned on the night, which was probably the right decision.

Hulk Hogan Versus Ric Flair Almost Happened

Both Men Fought Different Opponents At WrestleMania 8

• Ric Flair And Hulk Hogan Were Originally Slated To Face Off In The Main Event Of WrestleMania 8
• Flair Would End Up Facing Randy Savage, Whilst Hogan Took On Sid Justice

WWE had begun setting up a huge match between the industry's biggest stars, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, with the pair facing off on house shows and starting to share screen time on television. However, WWE nixed this plan for a much less interesting main event which saw Sid Justice take on Hogan in a non-title match.

Ric Flair did have an exciting match earlier on in the night against 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, but it was still not quite the match-up that it could have been with Hogan. The two would end up crossing paths in WCW, but it has to be considered a missed opportunity which made WrestleMania 8 an underwhelming show.

Hogan To The Rescue

'The Hulkster' Stole The Glory At WrestleMania 9

• The Original Main Event Of WrestleMania Saw Yokozuna Defeat Bret Hart For The WWE Championship
• Hulk Hogan Came Out After The Match And Defeated The New Champion In An Impromptu Main Event

WrestleMania 9 is rightfully regarded to be one of the worst, with there being almost nothing good about it except its excellent location and set dressing. This was compounded by the main event, which was not even the match that was advertised going into the show.

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Bret Hart was defeated by Royal Rumble Winner Yokozuna, but that was not where the show ended. Hulk Hogan came out in defense of his 'friend' Hart, defeating the new champion to somehow exit the show as the overall winner. The whole ordeal was a sign of WWE's decline, which kicked off its transition to the 'New Generation Era.'

Shawn Michaels Lost His Smile Before WrestleMania 13

But Fans Got To See Steve Austin Versus Bret Hart

• WWE Champion Shawn Michaels' Forfeited The Title, Meaning WrestleMania 13 Plans Had To Change
• The Two Big Matches Ended Up Being Undertaker Versus Sycho Sid And Bret Hart Versus Steve Austin

When Shawn Michaels "lost his smile," it was a rather vague excuse for him to drop the title due to injuries, and/or a way to avoid working with Bret Hart once again. This meant a new champion had to be crowned, with Bret winning the title at In Your House: Final Four, only to drop the belt to Sycho Sid a day later on Raw thanks to interference from Steve Austin.

This piece of business would set up two matches, which would be Sid versus Undertaker for the WWE Championship and Bret Hart versus 'Stone Cold' on the undercard. The second match is obviously the much more fondly remembered of the two, often beng cited as the best in the company's history as it catapulted Austin into the main event.

The WrestleMania 15 Main Event Could Have Included Mankind

The First Rock Versus Steve Austin Mania Match Was Almost A Triple Threat

• Original Plans For The WrestleMania 15 Main Event Would Have Seen Mick Foley Compete For The World Title
• It Ended Up Being A Singles Match Between Rock And Austin, with Mankind Being The Special Guest Referee

According to former WWE writer Vince Russo, the original plan for the WrestleMania 15 main event would have been a Triple Threat match between The Rock, Steve Austin, and Mankind. Leading up to the event, Rock and Mankind had been trading the WWE Championship in a sereies of violent matches, whilst Austin had been embroiled in his long-standng feud with Mr. McMahon.

WWE opted for the singles match between Rock and Austin, giving the honors of special guest referee to Foley, whom defeated Big Show earlier on in the night. This was probbaly the right decision in the end, as it would be the first of three great WrestleMania matches between the two biggest stars of the 'Attitude Era.'

WrestleMania 2000 Almost Included Y2J In The Main Event

The Fatal Four-Way Ended Up Being Between The Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley and Big Show

• The 'McMahon In Every Corner' Match Would Main Event WrestleMania 2000, Which Triple H Won
• Early Promotional Material For The Match Indicated That Chris Jericho Was To Be Involved

WrestleMania 2000 was a rare disappointment in a year when WWE hit its best form, with the Fatal Four-Way main event not going down well at all. The 'McMahon In Every Corner' idea was a bit lame, as a singles match between any of the competitors would have been preferable.

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According to early promotional material, it looked like Chris Jericho would be in the match instead of Mick Foley, who had actually retired a couple of months earlier. Y2J would get his WrestleMania main event a couple of years later, but it showed once again that the company felt unwilling to push him to the highest level.

Triple H Was Meant To face John Cena At WrestleMania 23

'The Game' Suffered An Injury, Meaning Shawn Michaels Had To Take His Place

• The Main Event Of WrestleMania 23 Was Supposed To Be A Rematch Between Triple H And John Cena
• An Injury Forced HHH Out Of The 'Show Of Shows,' With Shawn Michaels Taking His Place In The Main Event

WrestleMania 23 is best known for its 'Battle of the Billionaires,' but it also featured a major match between Shawn Michaels and John Cena in the main event. HBK had challenged the young star, looking to become WWE Champion one last time, but was not initially supposed to be in the match.

The original plan was for a rematch from the year before, with Triple H looking to regain the title from Cena, but an injury put pay to that idea. Cena and Michaels ended up having a really good match in the main event, following up with a special hour-long match on Raw to solidify the rivalry as a memorable one.

The 'YES Movement' Prevails At WrestleMania 30

WWE Listened To Fans And Let Bryan Be Champion

• The Original Main Event Plan For WrestleMania 30 Would Have Been A Match Between Batista And Randy Orton
• After Fan Backlash, Bryan Was Added To The Match By Virtue Of Defeating Triple H Earlier On In The Night

It is unthinkable that WWE would consider letting anyone but Daniel Bryan headline WrestleMania 30, as his title reign is fondly remembered as one of the greatest in the event's history. However, the company really would have rather gone with the planned Evolution match, with Batista winning the Royal Rumble to challenge Randy Orton for the world title.

2014 was the peak of WWE defying the fans, but even with their heads buried in the sand, they could not have gotten over a WrestleMania which did not feature Bryan in a prominent role. It just shows how much the fans matter to the industry, even when those at the top resent them for it.

Seth Rollins Cashes-In To Main Event WrestleMania 31

'The Architect' Engineered "The Heist Of The Century"

• Seth Rollins Used His Money In The Bank Shot To Enter The Main Event Between Lesnar And Reigns
• He Won The Match, Leaving WrestleMania 31 As Champion After Losing Earlier In The Night To Randy Orton

In one of the bigger surprises in WrestleMania history, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank to pull off "The Heist of the Century." The planned Brock versus Roman match at WrestleMania 31 was actually shaping up quite well in-ring after fans had rejected the match in the build up, particularly Reigns' involvement.

Having the get out in the form of a cash-in had surprisingly never been done, or even hinted at WrestleMania before, which made it a memorable moment. Rollins would leave as champion having lost earlier in the night to Randy Orton, so a mixed bag for him in general.

Covid Changes WrestleMania 36 Plans

Somehow, WWE Still Put On A Show During Lockdown

• The Covid-19 Pandemic Meant That WrestleMania 36 Had To Take Place Behind Closed Doors
• Braun Strowman Defeated Goldberg, Whilst Drew McIntyre Won His First World Title Against Brock Lesnar

Every other main event change in WrestleMania history has been done for creative reasons or as a result of a key injury, but 2020 was different due to the Covid pandemic. Many considered the show to be a bust after 35 years of tradition, as surely WWE could not go forward with a show when everyone else was stuck inside?

Obviously, they did not stop, but a lot of changes had to be made to the show. Firstly, Roman Reigns fairly decided not to compete to protect his health, which meant Braun Strowman was enlisted to face Goldberg for the Universal Championship. Also, Undertaker's final bout against AJ Styles became a 'Boneyard Match,' a cinematic affair that saw 'The Deadman' ride off into the night.

The most unfortunate part of it all (from a wrestling perspective) was that Drew McIntyre had to win his first world title without a crowd to cheer him on, but he will be hoping that he can finally do so this year against Seth Rollins.