Welcome to the latest Roundtable discussion here at iFight365.com where this week we’re asking the question: Is The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels the best match in the history of WrestleMania?

James Mustoe: While Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker was certainly the best match at WrestleMania this year, and will probably be WWE’s undisputed MOTY, I don’t quite think that it’s time to start calling it the best match that’s ever been at WrestleMania.

Looking back at similarly well regarded matches from WrestleMania, such as the incredible triple threat from WM XX, and the Austin-Hart match that many describe as the best ever WWE match period, I think it’s more of a test to see whether HBK/Taker holds up over time, rather than judge it less than a week after it happened.

It’s certainly Undertaker’s best ever non-gimmicked singles match, but Michaels with his true-to-life Mr. WrestleMania persona, has got a back catalogue of matches at the big show that can easily measure up, not least of all WM 24’s match against Flair, which in my opinion was just as good as this year’s, albeit for totally different reasons. Ask me again next year!

Phil Lowe: It’s definitely one of the best matches in WrestleMania history and definitely makes the top five, if not the top three Mania matches of all time. As for the best ever? I think it’s too early to tell.

The likes of Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart and Austin vs. The Rock are still WrestleMania classics a number of years down the line, and while I’m sure Taker-Michaels will still be talked about in a decade or so from now, it needs to have some time before you can really look back at it and look at where to put it in a list.

That said, going solely on the past few weeks and watching it live and a few times in the days that followed WrestleMania 25, for me, at this point in time, it is indeed the best match in the history of WrestleMania. Whether that remains the case in years to come remains to be seen.

Mark Bright: As great as the classic between The Undertaker and “The Heart Break Kid” Shawn Michaels was, a match that moved me to text Phil Lowe as soon as the match ended just saying “wow. that was fucking incredible” because nothing further needed to be said, I think the honour of being the greatest match in WrestleMania history still goes to the match at WrestleMania 13 between Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Where Michaels and Undertaker was undeniably dramatic, and two legends at absolutely the top of their game, Hart and Austin was not only a great match, to blow off a stronger storyline, it has a great match that had such impact on the future of the company. On that night, when Austin refused to tap out to the sharpshooter, you can make a very strong case that the wrestling business was changed forever. To borrow a phrase, the rocket had been strapped to Austin, and the WWE were hitching along for the ride.

While it didn’t have the sheer number of false finishes of Taker/Michaels, the significance of the one they did use was so monumental that I think you have to go with that. That’s not to say the match was a great finish and nothing else, because it was also heated brawling and fantastic work in a non-stop match in the perfect portrayal of both their heated rivalry and the sea change in their characters at the time. You really sensed Bret’s desperation as the tide was turning against his heroic character, and got behind Austin as he just didn’t give a shit about Bret’s problems and just wanted to go out there and kick ass. Taker and Michaels have years of history behind their match as well, obviously, but it wasn’t the sea changing moment that Bret/Austin was, and I believe you have to look at intangibles such as that when judging two great matches.

For what it’s worth, I would have Taker and Michaels in 2nd, followed by Austin and Rock from WrestleMania X-7 and Savage/Warrior from WrestleMania VII, with Owen v. Bret from WrestleMania X rounding out the top 5.

Dan Short: While there is no doubt that Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker was the best match at WrestleMania XXV, and certainly one of the greatest matches in the event’s history, I wouldn’t quite call it the greatest WrestleMania match of all-time. Before you can even consider calling it that, you would have to compare it with other great matches from past WrestleManias. And a number of them just seem rank a little higher.

Five matches come to mind for me. The first is Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat from WrestleMania III. That match set the bar for WrestleMania being the spot to showcase the absolute best wrestling. To steal the show of an event headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant in front of 90,000 strong is nothing short of phenomenal. Another match that comes to mind is Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13. They put on a hell of a performance with their submission match and single handedly saved a show that was generally a very weak one from top to bottom.

There’s also the ladder match between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania X. That match is still astounding to watch as it just seems to get better with additional viewings every now and then. Speaking of ladders, I always felt the Tables Ladders Chairs match from WrestleMania X-Seven was a fantastic spectacle. The Dudley Boys, The Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian, along with Spike Dudley, Rhyno and Lita, managed to not only surpass their ladder match from the previous year, but also managed to top one of the better WrestleMania shows.

Then there’s the match that, in my heart, is my all-time favourite. Much has to do with the fact that I was there live, which is probably the reason why some would also take Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker as the best WrestleMania match of all-time. The other is that I think a carefully crafted story was told that made the fans believe by the very end that they had witnessed a great match. To me, that’s the Iron Man Match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII. I know a lot of people don’t think it’s one of the greatest in the event’s history, but to me it was an amazing showcase of pure wrestling.

So you can see there are at least five matches I’d rank better than Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker. It’s one of the greatest WrestleMania matches – just not the greatest of all-time.

Michael Campbell: Hmm. I think the answer for most people to this would be… “It’s too soon to say… come back to me in five years”. Really, this bout isn’t a month old, so to judge it against the entire Mania back-catalogue isn’t something I’d be willing to do at this point.

When I discuss the history of a show, or a match-type, and I make lists according to “best” to “worst”, it’s to be taken with a pinch of salt. The focus on these articles is to discuss the past, and bring attention to moments in history that readers may not be aware of, or I feel could be re-evaluated. The fact that they’re mentioned in the form of a list, is simply for the sake of argument, and because it’s a simpler way of doing things and keeping them in context. Whether or not you agree with the running order of my 25 Great WrestleMania matches column is redundant, because it’s only one opinion, and the point was to get people thinking (and checking out!) a whole bunch of great wrestling, rather than pointlessly writing their own lists.

In general, I’m not a fan of the internet’s obsession with classifying and rating things against each other (which is why I don’t do Star Ratings). If others want to do so- that’s fine, but me saying I think it’s the greatest match of all time, isn’t particularly interesting. Hell, I may change my mind in two days anyway.

The Undertaker/Michaels bout was utterly scintillating in my book… but i don’t feel the need to start comparing it to others in order to confirm that. I loved it. But I also loved Taker/Edge, and Flair/Michaels, and HHH/Benoit/HBK, and Austin/Rock. They’re all outstanding in their own way, and for different reasons.