The world title matches at WrestleMania provide spots on the card everyone wants to secure. Other matches have main event or show-stealing spectacle, but the world championship matches ensure the wrestlers involved will have a major match on the biggest show of the year. New names like Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair breaking out at WrestleMania 37 provide the importance for talents in their early careers.
Some talents had enough star power and momentum to challenge for top achievements multiple times in a row. Each wrestler to have such a responsibility received the support of management in a major way. Ranked below are the wrestlers that challenged for a world championship at consecutive WrestleManias.
9 Nia Jax
Nia Jax is one of the most unlikely names to have consecutive world title matches at WrestleMania. The first title shot is less memorable as Jax was the first woman in eliminated in a fatal four-way involving Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Bayley.
WWE put more effort into Nia’s push the following year at WrestleMania 34. Jax challenged her former best friend Alexa Bliss with the story of bullying and weight shaming making Nia the face. The singles match provided a bigger platform for Jax to win the Raw Women’s Championship.
8 Drew McIntyre
The WWE Championship matches at WrestleMania 36 and WrestleMania 37 each featured Drew McIntyre challenging for the title in moments that will always be remembered. McIntyre main evented WrestleMania 36’s second night in an empty arena beating Brock Lesnar for the belt.
The recent show would see things change in the opposite direction as the fans returned for the first live WWE show in over a year. Drew challenged Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship in the opening match of night in a losing effort.
7 Sasha Banks
WWE renaming the Divas Championship as the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32 elevated the title to a new level in the women’s evolution. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch challenged Charlotte Flair for the title in a triple threat match.
All three ladies delivered strong performances on the grandest stage, but it was Charlotte who retained the title. Sasha had another title shot at WrestleMania 33 for the Raw Women’s Championship. Bayley retained her title that year over Banks, Flair and Nia Jax.
6 Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch didn’t break out with “The Man” persona as a top superstar until 2018, but she did have a few major title shots on the biggest stage before it. WWE placed Lynch in the important WrestleMania 32 match for the Women’s Championship that set the table for the future of the women’s division.
The following year would see Becky involved in a five-woman match at WrestleMania 33 for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Lynch fell short with Naomi taking the title in her hometown. Two years later would see Becky getting her big moment in the spotlight as the first woman to win a WrestleMania main event.
5 Roman Reigns
The incredible run of WrestleMania main events has already seen Roman Reigns close the biggest show of the year on five occasions. WWE ran a similar story at WrestleMania 31 and WrestleMania 32 of Roman trying to capture the WWE Championship.
Reigns would see Seth Rollins cashing in the Money in the Bank during his title match against Brock Lesnar. The following year did give Roman the big payoff of beating Triple H in the main event to leave the show as WWE Champion.
4 Shawn Michaels
WWE ran the story of Shawn Michaels challenging for the WWE Championship on back to back WrestleMania events with different stories. WrestleMania XI was a losing effort for Michaels as a heel falling to the next top face of Diesel in the semi-main event of the night.
The following year would Michaels’ story playing a bigger role when challenging Bret Hart in an Iron Man match. WrestleMania XII was built around Michaels winning the WWE Championship for the first time in the instant classic against Hart.
3 The Undertaker
The Undertaker was one character so over that WWE didn’t often put him in the title picture. WrestleMania 13 was the only time The Undertaker had a title match on the grandest stage until the 2000 for his back-to-back years as a challenger.
The 2007 Royal Rumble win for Undertaker landed him a title shot against Batista at WrestleMania 23. Fans were invested in the story of the streak vs the title when Undertaker won the World Championship.
WrestleMania XXIV added more appeal to Undertaker challenging Edge this time with both men having undefeated streaks. Undertaker won another classic to leave the show of the immortals with the top prize.
2 Steve Austin
WWE realized Steve Austin was going to lead the promotion to new levels of success when he took over the Attitude Era. A full year would see Austin growing as a face to set up his big WrestleMania XIV match against Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship.
Mike Tyson being added to the mix as an enforcer provided more buzz for the match and added to the moment of Austin’s first title win. WWE went back to the story of Austin chasing gold when having him beat The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XV from the challenger side.
1 John Cena
The role as face of the company made John Cena WWE’s top name come WrestleMania season. After winning his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21, he would successfully defend the title at the following two WrestleManias. Cena then had the unlikely position of challenging for a world title on four consecutive WrestleMania events from 2007 to 2011.
WrestleMania XXIV featured Cena losing a triple threat match involving Triple H and Randy Orton. The following year would see Cena winning the World Championship in another triple threat over Edge and Big Show. WrestleMania XXVI showcased Cena beating Batista, and WrestleMania XXVII was a loss to WWE Champions The Miz.