5 of the worst WrestleMania main events ever

With WrestleMania 33 taking place Sunday, theScore is celebrating the WWE's annual marquee event throughout the week. Here, we look at five main events from years past that failed to deliver the goods in more ways than one.

Related: 5 of the greatest OMG moments in WrestleMania history

WWE Championship: Sgt. Slaughter (c) vs. Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania 7

Portraying an Iraqi sympathizer during a time when America was involved in the Gulf War, Sgt. Slaughter received several death threats from crazed wrestling fanatics who clearly couldn't tell the difference between what's real and what's kayfabe (staged).

As a result, the company decided to move the show from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (which could have held upwards of 100,000 people, and had an open roof) to the smaller Los Angeles Sports Arena, with a total attendance of just 16,158.

In reality, the event wasn't selling well enough to justify being in such a large venue. A WrestleMania is only as good as its headline attraction, and the art imitating life storyline between Slaughter and the Hulkster was dying a slow death heading into the show, which was evident in the ticket sales.

The match itself followed the same humdrum formula for a number of Hogan's bouts during the peak of Hulkamania. The end result was never in question, with the two combatants working a plodding, lethargic style that didn't connect with the audience, and that was even with Hogan donning a crimson mask during its latter stages.

Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice, WrestleMania 8

WrestleMania 8 was basically a square dance gone horribly wrong, as the four men involved in what were promoted as co-main events (Hogan, Ric Flair, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and Sid Justice) were paired off with the wrong partner. The wrasslin' world was dying to see Hogan take on The Nature Boy at the time, however, for reasons that still haven't been made clear to this day, WWE switched gears and deprived fans of the dream encounter.

The WWE Championship match between Flair and Savage turned out to be a classic, which is the saving grace of that entire mess. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for what transpired between Hogan and Justice, which was bowling-shoe ugly (a classic Jim Ross trope) from the opening bell to the botched finish.

Papa Shango was booked to hit the ring and break up Hogan's pinfall attempt after nailing his signature leg drop. Well, his timing couldn't have been more off, and as a result, Justice was forced to kick out of the maneuver, with manager Harvey Wippleman running in to force the disqualification.

Why was Shango involved in the first place? Why did he miss his cue? Whose bright idea was it to close WrestleMania on a DQ, even with Ultimate Warrior's triumphant return? What an unparalleled disaster.

Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, WrestleMania 11

The NFL's relationship with WWE can be traced back to WrestleMania 2, when several of the league's players - including Chicago Bears defensive lineman William "The Refridgerator" Perry - stepped between the ropes to participate in an over-the-top-rope battle royal, won by Andre the Giant.

Fast forward nearly a decade later, and it was future Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor's turn to give it a go, although he didn't have 19 other men surrounding him like if he were in a battle royal. With the spotlight squarely on him and Money Inc's big man Bam Bam Bigelow, L.T. was tasked with closing a WrestleMania and having a halfway-decent performance as a non-wrestler at the biggest show of the year.

Now, Taylor wasn't close to the trainwreck that many assumed he would be. The two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants held his own as best he could, and having him working with a veteran as skilled as Bigelow gave him an ideal opponent who could lead him by the hand.

Should this have been the main event, though? Of course not. If this were anywhere else on the card, it would forever be praised as the perfect use of a celebrity/athlete. Instead, it took the spot away from a much more polished clash between Shawn Michaels and Diesel, making it just the third time a title match didn't finish WrestleMania.

WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton, WrestleMania 25

Triple H and Randy Orton had so much going against them on this night at Reliant Stadium, that it's really no surprise their title bout - which had a well-constructed, personal conflict behind it where Orton took out several members of the McMahon family - is remembered so poorly.

For starters, the two had to follow Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, which is not only considered to be one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time, but one of the greatest matches ... period. The crowd was emotionally drained from that point on, putting the main event in a no-win situation.

A stipulation where Hunter could lose his title via a disqualification handcuffed a program that was designed to have a violent conclusion. A catch-as-catch-can wrestling match was the least desirable outcome, yet that's the one we essentially got since Triple H wasn't allowed to channel his inner cerebral assassin.

"I was happy with the match. I really was. The crowd in the arena had seen three-and-a-half hours of wrestling and, not only that, they had seen some very good wrestling," Orton told the U.K. Sun back in 2009. "Then you have this match with two guys who can't be outside of the ring for more than 10 seconds, you kinda screw yourself."

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Roman Reigns, WrestleMania 32

The WWE Universe isn't ready to jump on Roman Reigns' bandwagon. That was true at WrestleMania 32, and remains true to this day.

Needless to say, having the former Shield enforcer in a position where it was painfully obvious he was going to receive the royal treatment as the new champion wasn't good for crowd morale, especially after they had witnessed roughly six hours of wrestling prior to the main event.

If putting HHH-Orton on after Michaels-Undertaker seven years earlier took an emotional toll, then having HHH-Reigns go 25 minutes to end one of the longest shows WWE has ever produced took both an emotional, as well as a physical toll. Chants echoed throughout Cowboys Stadium that sometimes had nothing to do with what was going on in the squared circle, designed to maybe keep fans awake.

There was nothing about this match that required a second viewing - unless you're a Reigns supporter that is. It was a prototypical 'Mania blowoff to coronate a superstar more people wanted to boo than cheer.