WWE: 5 Greatest Openers in WrestleMania History

Credit: WWE.com

#1 – AJ Styles vs Shane McMahon – WrestleMania XXXIII

Not only is this match on the list of best WrestleMania openers, it’s also on the list of matches that most exceeded expectations.

Heading in to WrestleMania 33, many fans, this author included, were very disappointed with AJ Styles being put in a program with Shane McMahon. In the year prior, the Face that Runs the Place had defeated John Cena cleanly, captured the WWE Championship, and been the clear cut leader of SmackDown Live following the brand extension.

After all of those accomplishments, a WrestleMania bout against Shane O’Mac seemed like a huge demotion for Styles. However, if AJ Styles himself was disappointed, it certainly did not show.

The match featured a little bit of everything: MMA, submissions, chain wrestling, brawling, and high spots. To his credit, Shane McMahon performed extremely respectable given that he was in the ring with one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. And, given that AJ Styles could likely wrestle a broomstick to a ****+ classic, the fact that he had a very game Shane McMahon for an opponent meant we were going to be treated to something memorable.

Next: Predicting The Entire WWE WrestleMania 34 Match Card

AJ Styles would perform pure magic, becoming the Champ that Runs the Camp(ing World Stadium) and winning the match with the Phenomenal Forearm. This opener was so good, that quite frankly, it could not be followed. The best match of WrestleMania 33 happened at the very beginning.