Rematches have been a fundamental part of professional wrestling since its inception, as it provides the promoter the chance to tell a compelling storyline which can be spread across the multiple encounters with a bigger money match being the point of the final climax.

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However, in recent years, fans have stopped being receptive of rematches due to the extremely regular occurring of those on WWE's weekly programming, yet it still does not change the fact that some of the greatest wrestling matches to happen are sequels, as it provides an added layer of drama. With that, let's take a look at the instances when a match happened on back to back years at an annual PPV.

11 Hangman Page Vs Kenny Omega (Full Gear 2020 and 2021)

Hangman-Omega

AEW's Full Gear PPV will always remain synonymous with Hangman and Kenny, as it was after the 2019 version of the event when both the stars decided to take a break from singles action and hence formed a team, which saw them capture the promotion's tag titles in January 2020. After losing the belts at that year's All Out, Omega went on to resume his singles career which eventually led to him and Hangman facing each other in the final of the Men's Eliminator tournament at Full Gear 2020, where Omega won.

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However, the former tag partners went against each other again in the main event of the following year's Full Gear PPV, which saw Hangman Page finally defeating Omega to win the AEW World Championship in what was long-term storytelling at its finest.

10 Rick Rude Vs Ultimate Warrior (SummerSlam 1989 and 1990)

Ultimate Warrior-Rick Rude

The 1989 version of the "Biggest Event of the Summer" was the show which established SummerSlam as the August PPV for WWE. The event was headlined by WWE Champion Hulk Hogan, who teamed up with Brutus Beefcake to face Randy Savage and Zeus in a tag team match. This resulted in the top championship match for the night being for the Intercontinental Championship, which saw Ultimate Warrior defeat the champion Rick Rude to win the prestigious belt.

In the following year's version of the event, the two stars met again but this time for the biggest prize in the company. The main event of the 1990 SummerSlam saw the Ultimate Warrior retain the WWE Championship by defeating Rick Rude in a Steel Cage match.

9 Bret Hart Vs Yokuzuna (WrestleMania 9 and 10)

Bret Hart-Yokuzuna

In the main event of WrestlMania 9, the 1993 Royal Rumble winner Yokuzuna challenged Bret Hart for the WWE Championship. The match ended in a controversial manner when Mr Fuji threw salt in the champion's eyes allowing Yokuzuna to win the prestigious title. The victory was short-lived however as Hulk Hogan challenged the champion to an impromptu match right after, and won the championship in just 20 seconds.

Hart and Yokozuna met in the main event of the following year's WrestleMania as well, with it being the Hart this time who was the one challenging. Bret avenged his loss from the year prior in the eleventh minute when he pinned the champion after a failed Banzai drop attempt, hence winning the championship. This match also marked the first time in WWE history that two wrestlers faced each other in a WWE World Title match at two consecutive WrestleManias.

8 Kazuchika Okada Vs Will Ospreay (Wrestle Kingdom 15 and 16)

Okada-Ospreay

Night 1 of the 2021 Tokyo Dome spectacle for NJPW saw Okada and Ospreay battling it out after what had been a heated build up. During the G1 Climax 2020, Ospreay turned on his faction leader Okada and went on to form a group of his own, The United Empire. This match told a simple student vs master story, with the fan favorite master coming out victorious after Okada finally brought back his Rainmaker finisher in the 36th minute.

Okada and Ospreay met again at next year's Wrestle Kingdom, with them main eventing the Night 2 this time. Okada, who was the winner of the G1 Climax, defeated Shingo Takagi in the main event of Night 1 to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and then went on to successfully defend the belt against the former champion Ospreay the following night.

7 Brock Lesnar Vs The Undertaker (No Mercy 2002 and 2003)

Taker-Lesnar

The main event of the 2002 iteration of the No Mercy PPV saw WWE Champion Brock Lesnar defend his title against the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. The bout was a violent one as many expected, which ended with Brock countering a Tombstone Piledriver into an F-5 to retain the championship.

In the main event of the 2003 No Mercy PPV, Brock once again had to defend the company's top prize against 'Taker, but this time in a Biker's Chain Match. The match saw a controversial finish after Vince McMahon interfered and pushed the challenger off the top rope, allowing Lesnar to hit 'Taker with the chain and retain his title in the process.

6 Dudley Boyz Vs Edge and Christian Vs Hardy Boyz (WrestleMania 16 and 17)

Hardyz-Dudleyz-Edge-Christian

WrestleMania 16, or what is commonly known as WrestleMania 2000, was one of the worst received 'Manias at the time. However, one thing for which the show will always be remembered positively for will be the triangle Ladder match between Edge and Christian, The Dudleyz, and the Hardy Boyz. The bout was literally the start to an amazing era of tag wrestling, and an insanely fun match which saw the Canadian duo win their first tag titles.

In the following year's WrestleMania 17, the three teams decided to raise the bar by fighting in a TLC match this time. This match certainly surpassed all expectations attached to it due to the previous matches between the three teams, and once again saw Edge and Christian win the match, this time due to the help from Rhyno.

5 John Cena Vs The Rock (WrestleMania 28 and 29)

John Cena - Rock

"Once in a Lifetime", this is the tagline that WWE used to promote what was perhaps one of the biggest dream matches ever, between John Cena and the Rock. WWE masterfully told the story for more than a year, having the match announced on the Raw after 'Mania 27. The match was a decent encounter, with an amazing finish which saw Dwayne Johnson pick up a surprise win.

However, the WWE Universe soon realized the tagline wasn't quite true. This is because in the main event of WrestleMania 29, The Rock defended his WWE Championship against Cena in a rematch from the year prior, with Cena getting his win back and winning the WWE Championship.

4 Triple H Vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 27 and 28)

Triple H-Undertaker

WrestleMania 27, even though a disappointing show overall, was praised for the amazing encounter between The Game and The Phenom, a bout in which Triple H tried to break the Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak, while also trying to avenge the retirement of Shawn Michaels from the year prior. 'Taker eventually won, but it was obvious that Hunter had the best of him that night.

Ashamed of his less-than-dominant win at 'Mania 27, 'Taker then went on to pursue the now COO of WWE for a rematch at WrestleMania 28, which eventually ended up being a Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. The bout was an emotional ride, and saw 'Taker defeat Triple H in what was indeed the "End of an Era".

3 Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 25 and 26)

HBK-Taker

Speaking of Shawn Michaels, it was his two matches with the Phenom at WrestleMania which will always be remembered as the peak of their respective careers. At WrestleMania 25, HBK challenged his old rival in order to break his legendary streak, but fell short after what was an incredible match, and easily the Match of the Year for 2009.

RELATED: 10 Best Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels Matches, Ranked

Michaels then tried to get 'Taker to give him a rematch at 'Mania 26, and was only able to get it after putting his career on the line that night. It was an incredible outing and a perfect way for Mr. WrestleMania to retire. Until he came back for that one match in Saudi Arabia.

2 Hulk Hogan Vs Andre The Giant (WrestleMania 3 and 4)

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant

The main event of WrestleMania 3 has one of the most legendary wrestling moments, which had Hulk Hogan bodyslam Andre The Giant in what was a breathtaking visual. This happened towards the end of their WWE Championship match that night, which saw Hogan retain his belt.

The two met again at 'Mania 4, as a part of the quarter-final for the vacant WWE Championship. While this was the bout everyone had dreamed about prior to the event, it left everyone with a sour tasted in their mouths, as the match ended only in 5 minutes via double DQ.

1 Kazuchika Okada Vs Kenny Omega (Dominion 2017 and 2018)

Kenny-Omega-Okada-1

The series of matches between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada are regarded by fans and critics as the finest display of pro-wrestling, with the two breaking Meltzer's 5 star ranking system in all four of their bouts. After defeating Kenny to retain his title in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 11, Okada challenged the leader of the Bullet Club to a main event in that year's Dominion. Their match exceeded all expectations attached, and ended in a fabulous 60-minute draw.

Wanting to remove that one draw from his legendary IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign, Okada challenged Omega to another rematch at the 2018 iteration of the Osaka J Hall event, this time it being a No Time Limit 2 Out Of 3 Falls match. Omega finally came out victorious winning the title for the first time, and the match is the only 7 star rated match by Dave Meltzer.