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5 WWE Superstars Who Are Still Looking For Their WrestleMania Moment

These men and women of WWE will be looking at this year’s event to cement their legacies as Superstars!

By Chris Phelan
Split image of Austin Theory and Rhea Ripley

Each year, WrestleMania gives the WWE Universe the most exciting event possible — two nights of the best matches the world has ever seen. However, for WWE Superstars, the event offers the opportunity to curate their very own WrestleMania moment. 

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If you look at the majority of the WWE roster, nearly every Superstar has been a part of their own larger-than-life WrestleMania moment. Whether it’s Kevin Owens leaping off the top of the WrestleMania logo onto Seth Rollins in 2020, Drew McIntyre finally dethroning Brock Lesnar that same year or Edge taking Mick Foley to the limit in an unbelievable (and bloody!) 2006 hardcore match, the very best wrestlers on the planet have collected WrestleMania moments like baseball cards.

However, not all Superstars have been that fortunate. Whether these men and women have previously failed to capture a WrestleMania moment or have not been granted the opportunity to do so in their careers yet, here are five Superstars who are still looking for their WrestleMania moment!

Finn Balor

While many fans believe Finn Balor already experienced his own WrestleMania moment in 2019 when he defeated Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Championship, we’re here to argue that Balor should set his sights even higher. We admit, it was a heck of a performance for him, but it doesn’t quite live up to what makes a WrestleMania moment something truly timeless:

Ever since he was stripped of the WWE Universal Championship in 2016, Balor has been on the outside looking in on the most prestigious titles in all of professional wrestling. This year, however, he’s participating against his arch-enemy Edge in a Hell in a Cell match, and if there’s any match that transcends world championships, it’s Hell in a Cell. So can Finn Balor harness the power of his Demon altar ego and destroy Edge on the Grandest Stage of Them All? If he can... That’s a WrestleMania moment the WWE Universe will never forget.

Rhea Ripley

The world expected Rhea Ripley to create her first WrestleMania moment in 2020 when she faced off against Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women’s Championship. In 2020, Charlotte represented the present, and Rhea represented the future. Many fully expected a “passing of the torch” moment where the world would discover that the future is now.

Sadly, that did not come to pass.

Rhea Ripley was robbed of her WrestleMania moment in 2020. This year, she has a golden opportunity to right past wrongs when she once again finds Charlotte Flair across the ring from her, this time with the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line. A win over Charlotte would finally get the proverbial monkey off Rhea’s back while a loss would mean another choke job, one that would make Lex Luger jealous. 

Despite being a key member of one of the most nefarious groups in WWE, The Judgment Day, the WWE Universe is expected to be entirely behind Rhea in her quest to dethrone Charlotte at WrestleMania. The world is clamoring for a Rhea Ripley victory. Anything less would be considered a massive disappointment.

Austin Theory

While Austin Theory is no stranger to high-profile WrestleMania matches, the reigning United States Champion is still looking for his own WrestleMania moment. Let’s face it, although he battled Pat McAfee at last year’s event, McAfee shocked the world by utterly outshining Theory in the process.

However, WrestleMania 2023 is a different story as Theory will defend his title against one of the most prolific champions in WWE history, the returning John Cena. So, let’s make something very clear: if Theory beats Cena and that’s a very big “if," it will silence all of Theory’s naysayers, it will cement him in the upper echelon of the WWE roster, and it will give him the most significant WrestleMania moment possible. 

Whether you’re new to the business or a fifteen-year veteran of the game, a WrestleMania victory over John Cena goes a long way for a Superstar’s legacy. For Theory, his time seems to be now.

Bayley

Back at WrestleMania 33, Bayley successfully defended her RAW Women’s Championship in a Fatal Four-Way match against Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. So, technically, we would agree with any member of the WWE Universe who argues that Bayley already has a landmark WrestleMania moment. 

However, WrestleMania 33 was six years ago. A lot has changed since then, Bayley especially. 

We’re here to say that the 2017 version of Bayley who had her WrestleMania moment is a different version of the Superstar than the smiling and hugging fan-favorite. Today, the current iteration of Bayley is sinister, callous and, dare we say it, downright evil. This version of Bayley does not have a WrestleMania moment to call her own, and we’re willing to bet that she will pull out all the stops in So-Fi Stadium to ensure she takes what she believes belongs to her. 

If Bayley does grab her WrestleMania moment this year, the WWE Universe isn’t going to like it, but the leader of Damage CTRL won’t care whatsoever.

Gunther

As one of the most dominant Intercontinental Champions of all time, Gunther has made a name for himself with his no-nonsense in-ring style that has dismantled some of the best talents on the WWE roster. Although he is scheduled to defend his title at WrestleMania, his opponent (or opponents) have not been decided yet. WWE recently tried to settle this situation, but a #1 contender match ended in a way that further muddied the waters.

After dominating the NXT-UK scene for years, Gunther has quickly climbed up the ranks of the main roster. He’s laid waste to everything in his path since he arrived on SmackDown, so it would be a complete shock if he didn’t carve out a WrestleMania moment for himself in just a few short weeks. Unfortunately, whoever ends up challenging Gunther in So-Fi Stadium is in for an uphill battle because it doesn’t seem like the big man will relinquish his grasp on his championship just yet!

The Road to WrestleMania is still going strong, and although the majority of WrestleMania has taken shape, there’s still plenty of time for more shocks and surprises along the way. For these five Superstars, their WrestleMania moments are within their grasp. Will they be able to cement their legacies in Los Angeles? The WWE Universe will find out soon enough!

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