9 Wrestlers Who Competed In Consecutive WrestleMania Main Events

Appearing in one WrestleMania main event is a big deal, but to compete in consecutive WrestleMania main events is a huge achievement. Only nine wrestlers have managed to achieve this incredible feat.

Every wrestler who has aspirations to achieve great things in WWE will want to headline WrestleMania. Of course, many wrestlers are happy to compete at The Showcase of The Immortals but to close out the show is the place you want to be.

However, some wrestlers have been very lucky to not just main event once but to do it in back-to-back years. Inevitably, not all of those wrestlers who managed to compete in consecutive WrestleMania main events put on great performances, as it can be hard to top your previous one. Nonetheless, the majority have thrived under the pressure that comes with main eventing WrestleMania, which is why they have been booked in multiple WrestleMania main events in successive years.

9 Yokozuna

Yokozuna joined WWE in late 1992 and was instantly viewed as a huge attraction as a larger-than-life personality. Yoko quickly shot up the card as he won the 1993 Royal Rumble match from the coveted number 27 position. He booked his place in his maiden WrestleMania main event against reigning WWE Champion Bret Hart at WrestleMania IX.

Unfortunately, Yokozuna's first WrestleMania main event with The Hitman was underwhelming as Yoko got tired, and they rushed to the finish. He dethroned Bret for his first reign as WWE Champion, but his celebrations were abrupt with Hulk Hogan defeating Yoko for the title in an impromptu match. A year later, Yokozuna found himself back in another WrestleMania main event at WrestleMania X, and he actually pulled double duty. He retained his title against Lex Luger but failed to retain the gold against Bret, who ended his 280-day stranglehold as WWE Champion.

8 Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin surprisingly has only main-evented WrestleMania thrice in his WWE career, but his record is unblemished. Austin first headlined Mania at WrestleMania XIV, when he defeated an injured Shawn Michaels for his first WWE Championship.

The following year, Austin found himself challenging his rival The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XV in their first of three WrestleMania encounters. They put on a highly competitive WWE Title match, with Austin once again winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

7 Triple H

One of the most prolific performers in WrestleMania history is Triple H. The Cerebral Assassin has lost more than he has won at WrestleMania, but he is always a huge presence on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

The Game has headlined WrestleMania seven times, but he made successive WrestleMania main events at WrestleMania XX, 21, and 22. Unfortunately, for Triple H he failed to win a single one of those matches which is quite shocking. He lost his World Heavyweight Championship to Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX, and the title once again to Batista at WrestleMania 21, and he failed to unseat John Cena as WWE Champion at WrestleMania 22.

6 The Rock

Despite spending many years away from the business due to his commitments in Hollywood, The Rock has been involved in some iconic moments at WrestleMania. The Rock's consecutive WrestleMania main event appearances have occurred in two stints.

At WrestleMania XV, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin, and he came up short in his quest to capture the WWE Title from Triple H in a Four Corners Elimination match at WrestleMania 2000. Rock endured more heartbreak in his third successive WrestleMania main event when Austin defeated him for the second time in three years at WrestleMania X-Seven, once again unseating him as WWE Champion.

Moreover, 11 years later, Rock competed in his fourth Mania main event and this time he was successful when he defeated John Cena in a high-profile "Once in a Lifetime" clash at WrestleMania XXVIII. The Great One and Big Match John had a rematch 12 months later at WrestleMania 29, but this time the WWE Championship was on the line, and Cena reversed the outcome by winning the match.

5 Randy Savage

The only WrestleMania to date to host a tournament for the vacant WWE Championship is WrestleMania IV. "Macho Man" Randy Savage was one of the favorites to claim the WWE Title, and he proved to be one of the best performers in the tournament.

Savage collided with "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase in the final and he overcame Mr. Moneybags for his first WWE Championship reign. Just 12 months later, Savage was still reigning WWE Champion and The Mega Powers had imploded, which led to a mouthwatering affair at WrestleMania V. Both Manias emanated from Boardwalk Hall in New Jersey, but Savage did not have luck on his side at WrestleMania V as he dropped the title to Hogan.

4 Bret Hart

The Excellence of Execution Bret Hart finally captured the WWE Championship in late October 1992, ushering a new direction in WWE. However, Bret had a difficult task at WrestleMania IX as he defended his title against Yokozuna.

It was both Hart and Yokozuna's maiden WrestleMania main event appearance, but The Hitman failed to walk away with the WWE Title. The roles were reversed at WrestleMania X with Bret co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble match alongside Lex Luger. He faced Yoko for the title in the main event for the second year in succession. Their WrestleMania X match was marginally better, which is a testament to both competitors with Bret reclaiming the title he lost 12 months prior.

3 Roman Reigns

Since he won the 2015 Royal Rumble match, Roman Reigns has received hostile receptions from fans as it clear that Mr. McMahon decided that The Big Dog would be the new face of the company. The Big Dog's four WrestleMania main events so far have all come in successive outings.

He is the second man after Hulk Hogan to compete in at least four WrestleMania main events in back-to-back years which shows the type of company he is in. He challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31, but he lost when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and pinned him. A year later, he defeated Triple H for the title at WrestleMania 32, and he handed Undertaker a second loss at WrestleMania 33, where he received a chorus of boos in both instances. He was easily dismantled by Brock Lesnar in their Universal Championship clash at WrestleMania 34, which was disappointing for The Big Dog.

2 Hulk Hogan

No one epitomizes WrestleMania more than Hulk Hogan. The Hulkster competed in the first nine editions of WrestleMania, and he closed out the show on a record eight occasions. At the inaugural WrestleMania, Hogan and Mr. T defeated Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.

Hogan retained the WWE Championship against King Kong Bundy and Andre The Giant in the next two editions of The Show of Shows. Adding to his tally, Hogan main-evented a record five WrestleManias in a row from WrestleMania V-IX. He boasted wins over Savage, Sgt. Slaughter, Sid Justice, and a farcical victory over Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. He did lose the WWE Title to The Ultimate Warrior in "The Ultimate Challenge" at WrestleMania VI in one of the biggest moments in WrestleMania history.

1 John Cena

John Cena became the face of the company when he defeated JBL for his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21. Cena earned two of the biggest wins in his career when he retained the WWE Championship against Triple H and Shawn Michaels in his first two WrestleMania main events at WrestleMania 22 and WrestleMania 23.

Cena was still featured prominently in World Title Matches at Mania, but he returned to the main event of WrestleMania for the first time in four years at WrestleMania XXVII when he lost to The Miz in a WWE Championship match. In the two subsequent years that followed, Big Match John traded victories with The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII and WrestleMania 29, but the WWE Title was back in his possession with the win at the latter event.

NEXT: John Cena's 16 Worst Title Reigns, Ranked From Worst To Best