We’re inching closer and closer to WrestleMania, and most of the Hall of Fame wing has already been chosen. The 2026 class includes AJ Styles, Stephanie McMahon, and Denoltion.
But…WWE has yet to announce whether they’ll induct an “Immortal Moment” this year. They introduced this new wing of the Hall of Game last time out when they inducted Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13.
We don’t imagine it was a one-year affair so that’s why we’ll do WWE’s bidding for them and list 10 matches/moments in wrestling history that should receive the honor sooner rather than later. Let’s jump right into it (these are not listed in any particular order, by the way).
Undertaker Throwing Mankind Off Hell In A Cell
For those who lived this,this is a rare wrestling moment where people remember exactly where they were when this happened. It’s a moment that’s been replayed over and over in wrestling lore so we don’t need to do any explaining.
What we will say is that this moment is an inflection point in wrestling history. While this type of violence was being done in ECW or Japan, it was never out in the mainstream like this. From then on, the ceiling on wrestling spots kept getting higher and higher, for better or worse. But it all started here at King of the Ring 1998.
Main Event of WrestleMania 1
We wouldn’t be writing out this list if not for this moment. Vince McMahon quite literally bet the farm on the first WrestleMania event, which aired on closed-circuit television (this was before pay-per-view). He mixed A-list celebrities Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, etc. to sell pro wrestling, still a niche form of entertainment at the time.
McMahon’s gamble paid off, mainly because of the main event. Mr. T teamed up with Hulk Hogan to take on “Rowdy Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. Hogan and Mr. T get most of the credit, but don’t overlook Piper, who was the perfect foil to the two (so much so that Mr. T almost backed out of the event because of real-life heat).
Hulk Hogan Joins The nWo
Hogan helped usher in the WWF boom with that WrestleMania 1 main event. He would do the same a decade later at Bash in the Beach 1996, only for the rival company. Fans threw heaps of trash when Hogan revealed himself to be the “third man” in alliance with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Cue the Monday Night Wars and a golden era of professional wrestling.
Hogan Slams Andre The Giant
Alright, let’s just list out all the Hogan moments right now, shall we? The Hulkster gets another recommendation for body slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in the Silverdome in front of 90,000 fans (a highly disputed number, which is its own lore). Jesse “The Body” Ventura calling it “the Irresistible Force meets the Immovable Object” is burned into the ears of everyone who’s ever watched WWE.
Also see: Mandy Rose Retirement: Former WWE NXT Champion Announces End of Wrestling Career at 35
Shane McMahon Buys WCW
We mentioned the Monday Night Wars earlier on, but this is the moment that ended it after five years. WWF bought out WCW for pennies on the dollar right before WrestleMania 17. On the final Nitro, right after the final battle between Ric Flair and Sting, Shane came out to announce he was the new owner — storyline-wise, of course. While it launched a subpar invasion storyline between WWF, WCW, and ECW, with the benefit of hindsight, it was a moment that changed the landscape of the wrestling business for decades to come.
Cody Rhodes Finishes His Story At WrestleMania 40
This one is only two years old, but boy, is it deserving. WWE’s version of The Avengers: Endgame closed out WrestleMania 40. Cody Rhodes. Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins. John Cena. The Rock. The Undertaker. All in the ring at the same time. Yes, we know Rhode was “finishing his story” with a win, the top sportsbooks for betting, all favored him, but… to win this way was truly, truly special.
Edge Cashes In Money In The Bank For First Time
Alright, this moment ending up on the list might surprise a lot of you. Many favor Seth Rollins “Heist of the Century” cash-in that closed WrestleMania 31. But… we’re choosing Edge’s cash-in over John Cena at New Year’s Revolution 2006. Why? Because it was the first of its kind and it created this entire genre of wrestling moments involving Money in the Bank cash-ins. That historical significance alone makes it Hall of Fame worthy.
My Way Music Video At WrestleMania 17
Alright, we’re just gonna start having fun with this list. While Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 17 is a worthy match in itself — it unofficially ended the Attitude Era — we want to induct the promo package for the match. Limp Bizkit’s “My Way” is etched into every wrestling fan’s brain from this video package alone, which features the two biggest stars of that era duking it out. The video and song has become a meme in itself, leading to the Indiana Pacers doing its own version a year ago.
CM Punk’s “Pipebomb” Promo
“I’d like to think that maybe this company will be better after Vince McMahon is dead, but the fact is it’s gonna get taken over by his idiotic daughter and his doofus son-in-law and the rest of his stupid family.”
CM Punk gave us a glimpse into the current WWE under Paul Levesque (15 years ago!), broke the fourth wall, launched his career into superstardom, and toed the line between “work” and reality with this entire promo. Just an iconic moment that sent ripples across the business, then and to this day.
Steve Austin Busts Out A Beer Truck
Closing off our list is Stone Cold giving a beer bath to The Corporation — The Rock, Shane McMahon, and Vince in the lead-up to WrestleMania 15. Austin drove a literal beer truck to the ring to do the honors. Just the moment of Vince “swimming” in the puddle of beer inside the ring is a visual that needs to be replayed over and over again.
And that’s our list. How’d we do? Let us know in the comments what you think!
