5 WrestleMania rematches that were better than the original and 4 that were worse
WWE always tries to fill WrestleMania up with the biggest matches possible. Usually, they will be fresh new match-ups, but there have been times when the company has repeated the same match at a different WrestleMania.
A few rationales go behind the decision to book a rematch from a previous edition of the event. WWE has usually them after the original proved to be a great success. Others happened so the company could right a wrong from a few years prior.
WWE's success with these rematches has varied. Some of them have lived up to - and even surpassed - their previous matches. However, a few did not reach the same level they did the first time around.
Here are five WrestleMania rematches that were better than the original, and four that were worse.
#9 Rock vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin at WrestleMania 17 (Better)
The Austin-Rock trilogy is among the greatest stories in WrestleMania history. The two WWE legends did battle with each other at three alternating 'Manias during the company's biggest boom period.
'Stone Cold' Steve Austin defeated The Rock at WrestleMania 15 in what was a great match. However, they surpassed it by some distance two years later. Their main event of WrestleMania 17 was iconic, both by design and in execution.
For starters, it happened right when WWE hit its peak. Vince McMahon bought WCW and the 2001 edition of the Show of Shows was seen as the perfect swansong for the Attitude Era. There was no other way to mark the occasion than to put the two biggest stars in WWE history against each other in the main event.
The video package put together for the match was outstanding, with "My Way" by Limp Bizkit providing the perfect soundtrack. What followed was even better, as Rock and Austin put on an intense back-and-forth No Disqualification Match. They went nearly 25 minutes before Vince McMahon showed up.
The Texas Rattlesnake won the match and the WWE Championship, with help from the Chairman of WWE. He turned heel and effectively ended the Attitude Era, with the moment living in infamy to this day. Still, the match was excellent - the best of the trilogy.
The Rock defeated Steve Austin in the latter's final match at WrestleMania 19 to round out the series. It was typically great, but the 2001 encounter stands above all as the greatest match of the most iconic trilogy in WrestleMania history.