10 Wrestling Legends (& Their Last Appearance At WrestleMania)
There have been a whole lot of wrestling legends who have stepped foot on the grandest stage of them all - WWE’s spectacle and showcase event, WrestleMania. In fact, many of these icons have created their legacy at the event, becoming hugely important parts of WWE over the years.
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For everyone though, there is a “last” WrestleMania appearance. Whether that be a match, a segment, or getting inducted into the Hall of Fame, the final WrestleMania appearance for legends comes at some point. It is interesting to look at the different range and manner of appearances for several iconic personalities throughout wrestling history.
10 Goldberg - WrestleMania 36
Goldberg was at fewer WrestleManias than several other legends due to spending his prime years in WCW, and only spending a short spell in WWE. His second stint in WWE saw him compete at two WrestleManias, and the second of which was in front of zero fans at WrestleMania 36.
He walked in as the Universal Champion in what was supposed to be a match against Roman Reigns, but instead Braun Strowman replaced him and won the bout. Goldberg never got one last WrestleMania in front of fans before leaving the promotion for good.
9 Andre The Giant - WrestleMania 7
Andre The Giant’s time in the ring had slowed down a whole lot by the time 1991 rolled around, with injuries and illnesses taking their toll. His last WrestleMania was at WrestleMania 7, though it wasn’t in a wrestling capacity.
After previously showing friendliness to the Big Boss Man, Andre came to his aid. During an Intercontinental Championship match against Mr. Perfect, Boss Man was attacked by The Barbarian and Haku, ending the match in a DQ. Andre helped to fend off the heels.
8 Hulk Hogan - WrestleMania 37
Hulk Hogan is one of the most prolific WrestleMania competitors of all time, main eventing 8 of the first 9 WrestleMania cards, and winning most of the time he was on the show. Over the years he has turned up several other times, with the most recent coming at WrestleMania 37.
WWE’s return to seeing fans in attendance following the pandemic saw Hulk Hogan and Titus O’Neil act as the “hosts” of WrestleMania. Fans weren’t too happy seeing Hogan though given his many controversies, showering him in boos whilst he was dressed in a pirate’s outfit - it was a bizarre sight to say the least.
7 Eddie Guerrero - WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 21 opened up with a wonderfully wrestled match between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, adding another chapter to their historic rivalry with one another which stretched for several years and into different companies.
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Guerrero’s last ever WrestleMania match was also his last appearance due to his unfortunate and tragic passing later in the year. Mysterio would go on to win the World Heavyweight Title the following year in memory of his friend, which was a nice moment.
6 Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 35
Shawn Michaels’ last match may have come at WrestleMania 26, but over the next decade he showed up at several WrestleManias. He was at 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, and then finally at 35 in what would be his last WrestleMania appearance to date.
WrestleMania weekend saw the D-Generation X faction get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and the group of Attitude Era rebels came out on the stage at the marquee event to celebrate their induction. This marked Michaels’ second induction into the Hall of Fame.
5 Bret Hart - WrestleMania 35
Much like his former sworn enemy Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart’s last WrestleMania match came at 26, and his last appearance also came at 35 in pretty much the same manner.
Hart received his second Hall of Fame induction also, this time within the Hart Foundation. He came out onto the stage along with the daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Natalya, to celebrate this accomplishment.
4 Edge - WrestleMania 39
Edge was at the most recent WrestleMania in 2023, competing in a Hell in a Cell match against The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor to close out a near year-long rivalry. Due to Edge now leaving WWE and heading over to AEW to continue his career, and with him already being inducted into the Hall of Fame because of his first retirement, this could very well be his last ever WrestleMania in his whole career.
At least for the foreseeable future, this will be Edge’s last WrestleMania event.
3 Iron Sheik - WrestleMania 21
Four years after a surprising return to the ring for the “Gimmick Battle Royal” at WrestleMania 17, The Iron Sheik made his final appearance at the show at WrestleMania 21.
Sheik was inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before the event, and came out on stage to celebrate his induction alongside many other legends of this era - Bob Orton, Paul Orndorff, Nikolai Volkoff, Jimmy Hart, Roddy Piper, and his lifelong rival Hulk Hogan.
2 Sting - WrestleMania 32
Sting’s first WrestleMania didn’t come until 2015 with WrestleMania 31 due to spending his career outside WWE in the likes of WCW and TNA. When he finally arrived, he lost to Triple H in a match that was supposed to embarrass the legacy of WCW. One year later, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after stepping into retirement.
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Much like many others on this list, he came out at WrestleMania 32 to wave to the crowd with the other inductees of that year’s class.
1 Roddy Piper - WrestleMania 31
Roddy Piper made several sporadic appearances for WWE under his “Legends” contract, including Piper’s Pit segments and other backstage cameos. At WrestleMania 31, it was the latter. Earlier in the night, Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match, and during an interview backstage he was greeted by some of the iconic IC Champs of the past.
Amongst the likes of Pat Patterson, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, and Ricky Steamboat was Roddy Piper, who all congratulated the new titleholder of the historic belt.
