10 WrestleMania Matches From The '00s You Totally Forgot Happened
Daniel Davis
During the 2000s, there were some iconic and memorable matches at WrestleMania. Just think back to main events like Edge vs. The Undertaker, John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin vs. The Rock. There were also great undercard bouts like Edge vs. Mick Foley, Christian vs. Chris Jericho, and Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio.
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However, a handful of matches from the decade have been totally forgotten to time. Some of them aren't remembered because they weren't very good but others were quite strong and still have been forgotten. A few even involved future Hall of Famers, legends, and even some world champions.
10 APA vs. The Basham Brothers vs. Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty vs. The World's Greatest Tag Team (2004)
Most fans adore WrestleMania XX since it features an ending that was emotional at the time and legendary matches like Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle. They often don't recall that the card was bloated and filled with too many matches.
Among them was this tag team match. The Smackdown Titles were on the line as these four teams clashed. The match itself only lasted about six minutes and it's hard to even remember that two of the teams existed at this time.
9 Booker T & Rob Van Dam vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak vs. La Resistance (2004)
If you want a good example of how overloaded the WrestleMania XX card was, look no further than the two tag title matches. Both were fatal four ways and most of the teams involved were pretty easy to forget.
The Raw side of things at least had the popular duo of Rob Van Dam and Booker T. The Dudley Boyz were there but they were kind of past their prime at that point. Although the other two tandems were solid, they don't stand out among the pack and neither did this forgettable match.
8 The APA and Tazz vs. Right to Censor (2001)
Many fans consider WrestleMania X-Seven to be the greatest installment of the event in history. There are solid reasons for that including the legendary main event, the iconic TLC II, and a few other memorable bouts. However, there are matches on the show that people do forget.
Among them is this contest, which was second on the night. Considering it was sandwiched in between a strong Intercontinental Title match and a really fun Hardcore Title bout, it's easy to forget. There's also the fact that it didn't really belong on the show and was a short match featuring nobody of real note for the time.
7 The Great Khali vs. Kane (2007)
WrestleMania 23 isn't among the best events ever but it has a ton going for it. There are meetings like Batista vs. The Undertaker and one heck of a Money in the Bank match. Alas, there's also this match, which doesn't feel like anyone would want to see it.
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The Great Khali was a few months shy of winning the World Title but not many fans were interested in him. Kane was also not at the best point of his career. The whole reason the match was added seemed to be so Kane could slam Khali in a cheap mimic of Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant in the same state two decades prior.
6 Goldust vs. Maven (2002)
When it comes to the Hardcore Championship and WrestleMania X8, the easiest thing to recollect was how it was a recurring thread throughout the show. Seemingly everyone from Christian to Mighty Molly won the title in wacky backstage segments.
That makes it easy to forget that the whole thing started with an actual match. Former Tough Enough winner Maven entered the evening as the Hardcore Champion and defended it against Goldust. Spike Dudley interfered with his own referee to win the title via 24/7 rule and that sparked the rest of the show.
5 Christy Hemme vs. Trish Stratus (2005)
Trish Stratus has gone down as the greatest Women's Champion in WWE history. Some of her WrestleMania moments are fantastic, highlighted by her meeting with Mickie James at WrestleMania 22. A year prior though, she was in a very forgettable contest.
At the time, WWE was all about making sure that year's Playboy cover girl got a spot on the biggest show of the year. Christy Hemme was the woman in 2005 and as popular as she was, her in-ring skills weren't up to par for this kind of match. She had only just gotten into the business in 2004 and wasn't ready for a big bout with Trish.
4 Batista vs. Umaga (2008)
Batista's WrestleMania XXIV match is such a strange one. In 2005, he won the main event and after missing the 2006 show due to injury, he competed against The Undertaker in a classic in 2007. By 2008, he was still a top star but didn't figure into the company's plans for the show.
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So, they kind of just shoehorned in a meeting where he represented Smackdown against Raw's Umaga. Two talented big men like this, especially at this point in their careers, should've been a classic. Instead, it was a short match with no real build and almost everyone forgets it.
3 Chyna & Too Cool vs. The Radicalz (2000)
In late 1999, Chyna made history as the first and still the only woman to win the Intercontinental Title. She won it again to start 2000 and felt like she was on a path to becoming one of the biggest stars in all of wrestling. By the time WrestleMania 2000 arrived, she should've been in a high profile situation.
She ended up getting randomly partnered up with Too Cool to take on members of the recently debuted Radicalz. It's a match that felt kind of like someone hit the random button on a video game and this is what they ended up with.
2 Chris Benoit & Rhyno vs. Los Guerreros vs. The World's Greatest Tag Team (2003)
On paper, this match sounds like it rules. In execution, it actually kind of did. Chris Benoit and Rhyno were a short-lived but good team of a technician and a powerhouse. Los Guerreros were among the best tandems of their era. The World's Greatest Tag Team was hot at the time and a fantastic pair of wrestlers.
They had a quality bout together but it was easy to overlook on a show with Steve Austin's final match, a classic between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, and a main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle.
1 Christian vs. DDP (2002)
It's kind of surprising to realize that this match happened at all, let alone at a WrestleMania. At different stages of their careers, this would've been epic but DDP was years removed from his WCW peak and Christian was a few years shy of his true breakout.
Here, they met in a mostly meaningly European Title match. It was barely five minutes long and the whole reason it was even on the show was so that Christian could throw a temper tantrum, which was his gimmick at the time.
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