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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhat was the best match at WrestleMania 17? In this ranking, it is Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock: the WWE Championship main event fused a personal rivalry, escalating drama and a finish that changed Austin’s place in the story. The order below is a judgment, not a claim of critical consensus. It weighs ring execution, pacing, crowd response, stakes and how well each finish paid off its story—not nostalgia alone.
WrestleMania X-Seven (also styled X-7) took place on April 1, 2001, at Houston’s Reliant Astrodome. WWE’s results page lists ten bouts, but a fuller card record includes Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit, which WWE’s page omits. This ranking covers the 11-match televised pay-per-view card, including Angle-Benoit, and excludes the separate Sunday Night Heat pre-show match. WWE’s results page and Ring History’s card record differ in scope, so the shorter WWE list should not be read as a complete card record.
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What matches were on the WrestleMania 17 card?
The event mixed championship matches, personal feuds, a multi-team Tables, Ladders and Chairs match, a gimmick battle royal and the Rock-Austin main event. WWE says five championships changed hands and reports 67,925 attendees, a Reliant Astrodome facility record. WWE’s event facts provide those figures and the TLC context.
Here is the complete televised-card ranking, worst to best. WWE’s official results page is used for outcomes where it lists the bout; Angle-Benoit is included based on the fuller Ring History record. The reported durations below are secondary database figures from Ring History, offered as context rather than a measure of quality.
#1 Best Overall
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11. Chyna vs. Ivory
Chyna defeated Ivory to win the WWF Women’s Championship. At 2:38 by Ring History’s listing, it is the shortest bout in this ranking, and its brevity leaves little room for a developed contest. The title change gives it a clear purpose, but the match itself has less variety and suspense than the rest of the card. WWE confirms the result.
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10. The Gimmick Battle Royal
The Iron Sheik won the battle royal, a parade of returning characters whose appeal was recognition and spectacle more than sustained wrestling. Ring History lists it at 3:50. The nostalgia is the point, but as a match it offers limited structure or competitive tension compared with bouts built around a developing rivalry.
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9. Bradshaw, Faarooq and Tazz vs. The Goodfather, Bull Buchanan and Val Venis
Bradshaw, Faarooq and Tazz defeated Right to Censor in a six-man tag listed at 3:56. The quick, energetic format gets the win across without lingering, but there is little time for individual stories or a layered finish to take hold. It works as a brisk undercard payoff rather than a standout match. WWE lists the result.
Rank #2
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8. Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Raven
Kane defeated Big Show and Raven in a Hardcore Championship triple threat. The presence of three larger-than-life competitors and a hardcore stipulation promises unruly action, but the match’s 9:28 listed duration does not translate into the strongest rhythm or clearest competitive thread. The result gives Kane the championship, though the bout is less compelling as a sustained contest than the more focused matches above it. WWE confirms Kane’s win.
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7. Eddie Guerrero vs. Test
Guerrero defeated Test to win the European Championship. Their contrast gives the match a straightforward framework, and the title stakes lend it more weight than a routine singles bout. It is a clean, serviceable contest, but it does not build to the same emotional peak or distinctive sequence as the higher-ranked matches. WWE records the title change.
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6. X-Factor vs. Steve Blackman and Grand Master Sexay (Sunday Night Heat pre-show)
This match is not part of the 11-bout televised pay-per-view ranking, but it belongs in an answer to “every match” when the pre-show is counted. X-Factor—X-Pac and Justin Credible, accompanied by Albert—defeated Blackman and Grand Master Sexay in the Sunday Night Heat opener. Ring History lists it at 2:46. It is a short preliminary tag match, with less space for momentum shifts or stakes than the main card bouts. Ring History’s card record lists the pre-show bout; WWE’s results page does not.
Rank #3
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6. Chris Jericho vs. William Regal
For clarity, the pre-show bout is separate; the main-card ranking resumes here at No. 6. Jericho defeated Regal to win the Intercontinental Championship. Their technical styles make for a tidy, competitive opener, and the title change gives the match a satisfying payoff. At 7:40 by Ring History’s listing, it is concise without feeling as slight as the very shortest bouts, though it lacks the scale and deeper escalation of the upper tier. WWE confirms Jericho’s win.
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5. Shane McMahon vs. Mr. McMahon (Street Fight)
Shane defeated his father in a Street Fight, with Mick Foley serving as special referee. The family conflict gives every collision more meaning than a standard grudge match, and Foley’s presence helps connect the personal story to the action. Its theatrical approach is central to the appeal; it ranks below the best matches because the spectacle and storyline do more work than sustained in-ring rhythm. WWE lists the stipulation and result.
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4. The Undertaker vs. Triple H
The Undertaker defeated Triple H in a hard-hitting contest that made the most of its two established stars and the stakes around Undertaker’s WrestleMania record. Ring History lists it at 18:27, enough time for the physical exchanges to feel consequential without losing forward motion. The match is strong from bell to finish, but it does not quite match the card’s top three for either layered storytelling or lasting spectacle. WWE confirms Undertaker’s victory.
Rank #4
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3. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz (TLC match)
Edge and Christian defeated the Dudleys and Hardys in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match to retain the World Tag Team Championship. The three teams’ histories and contrasting styles make the chaos legible: each ladder climb, table crash and rescue attempt advances the contest rather than serving as a stunt in isolation. WWE identifies this as a defining TLC match, and the result caps the escalating team rivalry. Ring History lists a duration of 15:50. WWE’s event facts describe the match and title result.
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2. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
Angle defeated Benoit in a technically demanding singles match that stands apart from the card’s larger-than-life spectacle. Their exchanges emphasize counters, control and the effort to gain an advantage, giving the bout a crisp internal logic. Ring History lists it at 14:10. Its placement in this ranking reflects the quality and pacing of the contest; its omission from WWE’s results page does not mean it was absent from the fuller card record. Ring History lists the match and result.
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1. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WWF Championship)
Austin defeated The Rock to win the WWF Championship in a 28:08 main event, according to Ring History’s duration listing. The match takes its time turning their rivalry into a struggle of endurance, with both men surviving the other’s signature offense and refusing to stay down. Then comes the defining turn: Austin aligns himself with Mr. McMahon to beat Rock. The finish is dramatic precisely because it is not a clean, heroic victory; it transforms the meaning of Austin’s win and leaves the audience with a lasting image of betrayal. WWE notes that Rock was competing in his third consecutive WrestleMania main event. WWE confirms the championship result.
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How did Stone Cold beat The Rock at WrestleMania 17?
Austin won the WWF Championship by turning to Mr. McMahon during the closing stretch. McMahon helped Austin overcome Rock, and Austin used a steel chair to secure the victory. The betrayal was the crucial story beat: Austin had spent years positioned as McMahon’s enemy, so accepting his help made the championship win feel like a shocking character turn rather than a conventional triumph.
How to read this ranking
The order favors matches that combine strong execution with clear pacing, crowd investment, meaningful stakes and a finish that completes the story. The TLC match earns its place through the way spectacle serves a three-team rivalry; Angle-Benoit rises on ring craft and control; Austin-Rock tops the list because its long build and consequential finish reshape the main event’s story. The battle royal’s nostalgic appeal and the hardcore match’s spectacle are real strengths, but neither alone outweighs structure and payoff in this ranking.
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