5 WrestleMania matches that surpassed low expectations

This match was a failure in 2004, and fans had every reason to doubt that adding 13 years to each man's age would do much to make it any better. — This match was a failure in 2004

Each year, WWE does its best to create a card full of dream matches, contests which will entice fans to sell out the massive stadiums that host the show.

While the WrestleMania name itself is typically enough to put butts in seats, sometimes dream contests like The Rock vs John Cena or AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura need a prominent billing to push fans to hit the purchase button.

Naturally, though, not every match can be that dream match on paper, and several contests leave fans scratching their heads and wondering who in their right mind thought that would sell tickets and pay-per-view buys.

The beauty of WrestleMania is that, sometimes, those headscratcher matches can blow low expectations away and become decent, if not classic, encounters.

Here are five such matches that far exceeded fans' low expectations, contests proving that every time a superstar steps through the WrestleMania curtain, they have the potential for greatness.

#5 The Undertaker vs Diesel, WrestleMania XII

It wasn't quite Old School at this point, so maybe it was still just — It wasn't enough old school at this point, so maybe it was still just "school"

The Undertaker had been languishing for much of the 1990s in feuds with immobile big men who restricted much of Taker's impressive power offense.

In fighting slow behemoths like Yokozuna, King Mabel, and King Kong Bundy, The Undertaker had to replace the Chokeslam and Tombstone with strikes and clotheslines.

These include the cases of his slow no-contest match against Giant Gonzalez at WrestleMania IX or the even clunkier (and marred by a guest referee who was inept, inexperienced, and insistent on being the star) contest with King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania XI.

The solution, of course, was to pair The Deadman with another big man with limited mobility, limited charisma, and the added benefit of one foot already out of the World Wrestling Federation door, Diesel.

Big Daddy Cool cost Undertaker his WWF Championship match against Bret Hart at the 1996 Royal Rumble, hoping to defeat Hart himself in a title rematch. Then Undertaker interrupted a cage match between Hart and Diesel to drag the trucker straight to hell.

This set up a match at WrestleMania XII that, though it didn't set the world on fire, didn't stink up the joint, either, and became a solid match on a lackluster undercard.

Undertaker had not had an impressive showing at WrestleMania for at least four years at that point. Some might argue that his matches against "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka at WrestleMania VII and Jake "The Snake" Roberts at WrestleMania VIII were less than impressive themselves.

The match against Diesel was the start of an upturn for Mark Callaway, which would turn into a full career renaissance the following night with the debut of Mick Foley.