| 1 | Shawn Michaels — From WM5 Loser to Mr. WrestleMania 13 WM Appearances — Greatest WM Career Shawn Michaels went from WM5 loser (as a Rocker) to becoming the most celebrated WM performer in history — 13 appearances including WM12 championship win, WM22/23 classics, and the WM25/26 Undertaker epics. | 12 more WM appearances — became Mr. WrestleMania | WWE Hall of Famer 2011 | WM12 (Iron Man), WM22/23 (Cena, Batista), WM25/26 (Undert... |
| 2 | Ultimate Warrior — WM6 WWF Championship Win WM5 IC Loss → WM6 World Title Win The Ultimate Warrior rebounded from his WM5 IC title loss to Rick Rude by winning the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan at WM6 in Toronto — one of the most celebrated WM world title changes in history. | Won WWF Championship from Hogan at WM6 (April 1, 1990) | — | — |
| 3 | Randy Savage — Macho King, Queen Sherri, SummerSlam '91 Reunion Savage's Post-WM5 Character Evolution After WM5, Savage aligned with Queen Sherri as 'Macho King', continued as top heel, then had one of wrestling's most emotional moments when Miss Elizabeth's ringside presence led to their reunion at SummerSlam 1991 in Madison Square Garden. | Macho King (with Sherri) → SummerSlam 1991 Elizabeth reun... | — | — |
| 4 | Hulk Hogan — WM6 Title Loss to Warrior, Multiple Returns WM5 Win Led to WM6 Honorable Loss Hulk Hogan's WM5 championship win launched his third title reign — which he ended at WM6 by honoring The Ultimate Warrior with a clean title loss, setting the template for WM6's beloved main event. | WM6 honorable title loss to Warrior → WM7/8/9 appearances... | — | — |
| 5 | Bret Hart — WM5 Undercard to 5x WWF Champion Hart Foundation Tag Match at WM5 — Solo Rise to Follow Bret Hart's WM5 Hart Foundation tag match was the last team WM appearance before his solo push began — leading to the IC Championship, the WWF Championship at WM8, and multiple subsequent WM main events. | Hart Foundation continues → Solo push → IC Champion → WM8... | — | — |
| 6 | Rick Rude — IC Champion, World Title Run, Early Retirement WM5 Win Was Career Peak Rick Rude's WM5 IC title win was the peak of his WWF career — he held the title 237 days before losing it back to The Warrior at SummerSlam 1989. A neck injury forced his retirement in 1994 before his death in 1999. | 237-day IC reign → SummerSlam 1989 IC loss to Warrior → W... | — | — |
| 7 | Mr. Perfect — IC Champion, Multiple WM Main Events WM5 Debut to IC Championship and WM Legacy After his WM5 debut win, Curt Hennig won the WWF Intercontinental Championship and became one of the most celebrated mid-card performers of the early 1990s, with notable WM appearances against Bret Hart and Ric Flair. | Won IC Championship → multiple WM appearances → WM8 (Bret... | WWE Hall of Famer 2007 (posthumous) | — |
| 8 | Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard — Won Tag Titles, Left WWF Brain Busters' Brief WWF Peak The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) won the WWF Tag Team Championship after WM5 — then returned to NWA/WCW later in 1989 in one of the most surprising mid-year departures of the Golden Era. | Won WWF Tag Championship → Left for NWA/WCW (1989) | — | — |