List of WrestleMania X Historical Firsts and Records

First Ladder Match in WrestleMania History

Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels — Introduced the Format to Mainstream Wrestling

The Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania X was the first ladder match in WrestleMania history and the first ladder match on any major pay-per-view platform in the world. It was only the second ladder match in WWF history — the first had been a Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels match on a Wrestling Challenge episode twenty months earlier. The WrestleMania X match introduced the format to a mass pay-per-view audience and created a template that all subsequent ladder matches, TLC matches, and Money in the Bank matches have followed. Without WrestleMania X, the ladder match format — now one of the most popular and recognisable in professional wrestling — might never have achieved mainstream acceptance.

First Five-Star Match in WWF/WWE History

Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels — Meltzer Rating

The Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels Ladder Match received a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter — the first time a WWF match had ever achieved Meltzer's perfect rating. The five-star standard is wrestling journalism's most prestigious accolade, and its bestowal on a WWF match represented a significant shift in the critical perception of the company's output. The match stood as the only five-star WWF/WWE match for over twenty years — until Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Rival in 2015.

First WrestleMania Without Hulk Hogan

The Post-Hogan Era Officially Begins at WM10

WrestleMania X was the first WrestleMania in the event's ten-year history that did not feature Hulk Hogan in any capacity — either as a competitor, a guest, or a backstage presence. Hogan had been the public face of the WWF and the central figure of WrestleMania since the inaugural event in 1985, appearing at every edition through WrestleMania IX. His departure from the WWF following WM9's controversial circumstances made WM10 the first true post-Hogan WrestleMania — an event that needed to succeed on the strength of its own card without the promotional crutch of the most recognisable name in wrestling history.

Return to Madison Square Garden — Nine Years After WM1

Second WrestleMania at MSG — Symmetry with the Inaugural Event

WrestleMania X was the second WrestleMania held at Madison Square Garden — returning to the venue of the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985, nine years and nine previous editions later. The tagline 'Ten Years in the Making' explicitly referenced this historical symmetry. The choice of MSG — and the return to the venue where it all began — gave WM10 an inherent significance and emotional weight that enhanced every match on the card. Several performers who had competed at WM1 were present at WM10, including Leilani Kai, who competed at both events at the same venue.

First Wrestler to Win Both IC and WWF Titles at WrestleMania

Bret Hart — IC Title Win at WM8, WWF Title Win at WM10

Bret Hart became the first wrestler in history to win both the WWF Intercontinental Championship and the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania events. Hart had won the IC Championship at WrestleMania VIII in 1992 by defeating Roddy Piper. Two years later at WM10, he won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Yokozuna. No wrestler before Hart had achieved both title wins on WrestleMania stages — a distinction that perfectly encapsulated his status as the WWF's most complete performer of the era.

First WrestleMania to Feature Two Five-Star Matches

Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart AND Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels — Both Five Stars

WrestleMania X remains one of the very few WrestleManias to feature two matches rated five stars by Dave Meltzer on the same card. The Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart opening match and the Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels Ladder Match are both universally regarded among the finest matches in WrestleMania history — placed at #4 and #3 respectively on IGN's Top 20 WM Matches list. The extraordinary achievement of placing two five-star calibre matches on the same card — one opening the show and one in the penultimate slot — makes WM10 one of the greatest WrestleMania events from a pure match quality standpoint.

Bret Hart Competed in Both the Opening Match and the Main Event

Only Wrestler in WrestleMania History to Appear in Both Positions on Same Night

Bret Hart is the only wrestler in WrestleMania history to compete in both the opening match and the main event of the same WrestleMania. He opened WM10 against Owen Hart in a 22-minute technical masterpiece, was defeated, and then — several matches later — returned to main event the show against Yokozuna for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, winning his second title reign. The physical and emotional demand of this structure — competing in two high-intensity matches in a single night, opening and closing the show — is unique in WrestleMania history.

Randy Savage's Final WrestleMania

The Macho Man's Last WM Appearance as a WWF Performer

WrestleMania X was Randy Savage's final WrestleMania as a WWF performer. Savage departed the WWF for WCW shortly after WM10, ending a WrestleMania career that had included some of the event's most celebrated matches — the five-star match against Ricky Steamboat at WM3, the WWF Championship wins at WM4 and WM8, and the Mega Powers storyline at WM5. His Falls Count Anywhere match against Crush at WM10 was a fitting if unspectacular farewell to his WWF WrestleMania legacy.