3 times WWE tag team matches were added to the WrestleMania main event
WWE has been around for 70 years. The promotion was first founded by Jess McMahon and was later run by Vince McMahon Sr. before his son, Vince McMahon, bought the company. Now the promotion is under the TKO Holdings Group banner, and Triple H looks after the creative.
The biggest show the massive pro wrestling company produces each year is WrestleMania. It first started all the way back in 1985, and the 40th annual edition of the spectacular event will take place in just a matter of days.
With 39 concluded WrestleMania shows, the WWE Universe has witnessed 43 headliners, thanks to the two-night 'Mania trend, which started in 2020. Out of all the main event bouts, only a handful have been tag team matches.
In this article, we will take a look back at tag team matches that headlined The Show of Shows. This includes one featuring Hulk Hogan, another with tag team gold on the line, and one that will take place in a matter of days.
Below are three times WWE tag team matches were added to the WrestleMania main event.
#3. The first-ever WrestleMania was headlined by a tag team match
While tag team main events at WWE premium live events are a rarity these days, the first-ever Show of Shows started things off hot. The legendary Hulk Hogan headlined WrestleMania I in a tag team match.
The Hulkster teamed up with celebrity actor Mr. T, with Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka in their corner. The duo of Hogan and Mr. T battled Paul Orndorff and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, with "Cowboy" Bob Orton in their corner. Notably, Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson served as special guest referees for the match.
The bout was quite short compared to most WWE main events, clocking in at just about 13 minutes. A failed attempt at interference from Bob Orton Jr. ultimately cost Piper and Orndorff the win, which caused The Hot Rod to snap and storm off. In the end, Hogan posed, a sight that became all too familiar for fans of WrestleMania in later years.
#2. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title was on the line last year
Fans must be shocked to learn that until 2023, the WrestleMania 1 main event was the last time a tag team bout headlined The Show of Shows. That streak was ultimately broken at WrestleMania 39, 38 years later, as the Tag Titles headlined Night One of The Showcase of the Immortals.
The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title was on the line during WrestleMania Saturday in the final bout of the evening. The reigning champions The Usos had unified the prized titles in 2022 and had the longest Tag Team Championship reign in the entire history of the promotion.
Their opponents that night were the duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, two long-time friends and rivals. The pair had issues in the past but reunited on The Road to WrestleMania 39. Both men had a lot of issues with The Bloodline, and neither had won tag gold together in the company up to that point.
The two teams clashed for around 34 minutes. After a hard-fought and competitive bout, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens dethroned the record-setting champions and won the belts in the main event of the biggest show of the year.
#1. WrestleMania XL Night One is set to be headlined by a tag team match
So far, WrestleMania has only been headlined by two tag team matches over the course of 39 years. After a massive 38-year gap between the first and most recent tag matches, WWE is set to run it back this year.
The Rock and Roman Reigns are set to unite in what is sure to be an epic tag team match at WWE WrestleMania XL Saturday. While the show hasn't come to fruition yet, this high-stakes bout is being promoted as the main event of Night One.
The People's Champion and The Tribal Chief will take on Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. The added stipulation to this blockbuster tag team match is that if The Bloodline wins, Cody's bout with Roman on Sunday will be contested under Bloodline Rules. But if The Visionary and The American Nightmare win, The Bloodline will be barred from ringside for The Tribal Chief's bout against Rhodes.