Bianca Belair & 8 Other WWE Superstars Whose First WrestleMania Was In The Main Event
Getting to the main event of any major show is major deal. But the main event of WrestleMania is just on another level of wrestling greatness. The WWE superstars look forward to WrestleMania as much as the fans do, if not more. Everyone lays it all on the line to make moments and live forever.
RELATED: Bobby Lashley & 9 Others Who Had Pointless WrestleMania Spots
The pressure is always immense at The Show Of Shows. Imagine that pressure when you’re not only making your WrestleMania debut, but you’re always making your debut as the main event headliner. The kind of Sport Entertainment pressure that the has the propensity to make diamonds.
7 Bianca Belair
The EST Of WWE had a hero’s journey to the main event of WrestleMania 37. First she won the Thunderdome Royal Rumble of 2021. Then she engaged in a war of words and one-upmanship with then SmackDown Women's Champion, Sasha Banks.
It didn’t just all culminate at WrestleMania, both Superstars made history being the first all-black female (or male) main event in WrestleMania history. But it was also the EST’s debut on The Show Of Shows.
6 Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff
When you’re attempting start a worldwide phenomenon, you need to kick things off properly. The WWE did so with a huge tag team match. The reigning WWE Champion, Hulk Hogan would square off against his bitter rival Rowdy Roddy Piper.
RELATED: 5 Times Hulk Hogan Was A Complete Jerk On-Screen (& 5 Times He Was One In Real Life)
But it would be with his friend, A-Team star Mr. T. Backing up Piper was his partner, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff. The groundbreaking tag match would set the stage that WrestleMania was indeed the superbowl of wrestling.
5 Ted DiBiase
When you’re The Million Dollar Man, things come pretty easily to you. But the one thing that didn’t was the WWE Title. When he tried to buy the Winged Eagle belt, he created a vacancy in the title that would be decided during WrestleMania 4.
Thanks to the tournament, Ted DiBiase got to be the first ever (and so far only) man debuting at a WrestleMania both opening the show (after the Battle Royal), and closing it out in the main event.
4 Sgt. Slaughter
For years, Sgt. Slaughter was an American hero whether he was a heel or a babyface. When he finally declared war on The Iron Sheik, his stock as a massive babyface quickly rose. But when he didn’t want to share the wealth over his GI Joe gig, he left the company and headed back to the AWA. Once the promotion fell, Sarge called Vince to congratulate him for WrestleMania 6 and prod The Chairman for a possible job. WWE came calling in late 1990 to begin setting the stage for Sarge becoming an evil Iraqi turncoat.
Once the US went to war with the nation, Slaughter got nuclear heat, no pun intended. He went on to win the WWE Title and actually got to stomp into WrestleMania 7 - not just in his first WrestleMania, but the main event and the first ever WWE Superstar to make their 'Mania debut as the defending WWE Champion.
3 Sid Justice
With the legend of Hulkamania waning (supposedly), Vince McMahon was looking to make new big blond babyface. He thought he found one in Sid Justice - but he’d rather be a heel and play softball instead. Concurrently, Ric Flair arrived and staked his claim on the WWE Title and the stage was all but set for Flair Vs. Hogan.
RELATED: 10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About The Hulk Hogan Vs. Sid Vicious Feud
However, the bad blood between Sid and Hogan boiled over so much that the showdown between them became far more of a pressing matter. As the WWE came to the Hoosierdome for WrestleMania 8, the WWE Universe got to see Sid Justice make his WrestleMania debut in what was billed as (lol) Hogan’s Last Match.
2 Yokozuna
The Mighty Yokozuna debuted and took the WWE by storm. His massive size and incomparable strength and agility was enough to captivate the WWE audience. Debuting in late 1992, he almost immediately squashed both literally and physically American Hero Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
After placing an American flag on Duggan, Yoke delivered The Banzai Drop several times. He arrived at the 1993 Royal Rumble and dominated there as well, becoming the first man to win the match and earn the WrestleMania title shot. At just 26 years old, he debuted, main evented, and won his first ever advertised WrestleMania match - before Hogan stole the title from him.
1 Brock Lesnar
It’s almost hard to believe that it has been over 20 years since the WWE Universe was first enthralled by the physical prowess of Brock Lesnar. Debuting the night after WrestleMania 18, he carved a path of wanton destruction the likes of which had not been seen in a long time - if ever. In soundly demolishing The Rock at SummerSlam 2002, he became the fastest rising star to win the WWE Title.
He would lose that title thanks to a Paul Heyman double-cross and have to do battle at the Royal Rumble to win the chance to challenge Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 19. It was The Beast’s first 'Mania, and thankfully (because of the botched Shooting Star) not his last.
