WrestleMania
is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in late March or early April by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation). It is considered the flagship event of WWE, as it is the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in the world. WrestleMania is nicknamed "The Grandaddy of Them All", "The Grandest Stage of Them All" and "The Showcase of the Immortals." [1] The event was first produced in 1985, and 25 editions have been produced as of 2009, with WrestleMania XXVI to be held in 2010. [2]
Conceptualized by WWE owner Vince McMahon, WrestleMania has become one of the most prominent events in sports entertainment. Its widespread success helped transform the professional wrestling industry and make the WWE the most successful promotion in North America. WrestleMania has facilitated the rise to stardom of wrestlers such as The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H, amongst others. Numerous celebrities such as Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Snoop Dogg, Raven-Symoné, Kim Kardashian, Mickey Rourke, Jenny McCarthy and others have participated or made special appearances in the events. The WWE's television shows are tailored to reach their climax at WrestleMania, which features matches for the company's championship titles, as well as specialty and gimmick matches. Participation in a WrestleMania match, and especially the main event, is considered by many wrestlers and fans alike as one of the greatest achievements and symbols of success in professional wrestling.
WrestleMania propels the worldwide commercial success of the WWE through media, merchandise and shows. All of the events produced have been sold out within a short period of time, with recent editions being sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale. The first WrestleMania was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City; the 10th and 20th editions were also held there. WrestleMania III in Detroit was the highest-attended indoor sports event in the world, with more than 93,000 fans in attendance. All but two editions have been hosted in U.S. cities - two having been held in Toronto, Canada - but the show is televised across the world via pay-per-view.
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WRESTLEMANIA TICKETS
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Organization
While most WrestleManias have been held in sports arenas in major cities, a number of them have been held in large stadiums; the most attended events include -
WrestleMania III in
Pontiac (93,173 people),
WrestleMania VI in
Toronto (67,678 people),
WrestleMania VIII in
Indianapolis (62,167 people),
WrestleMania X-Seven in
Houston (67,925 people),
WrestleMania X8 in Toronto (68,237 people),
WrestleMania XIX in
Seattle (54,097 people),
WrestleMania 23 in
Detroit (80,103 people),
WrestleMania XXIV in
Orlando (74,635 people), and
WrestleMania XXV in Houston (72,744 people.)
The format of WrestleMania is built upon the main event matches for the
WWE Championship and more recently also for the
World Heavyweight Championship. Since 2007, the ECW franchise has participated at WrestleMania. A select number of other championship titles are also contested, while there are several gimmick matches and personal feud matches on the card.
Since 1993, the winner of the annual
Royal Rumble match has received a guaranteed
WWE Championship match at that year's WrestleMania. With the creation of the
World Heavyweight Championship in 2002, the winner has since been able to choose to receive a World Heavyweight Championship match instead. With the introduction of the
ECW brand the possibility for the winner to choose to receive an
ECW World Championship match instead of either of the above at WrestleMania was also added in 2007.
[3]
As of 2005, the event has also been known for its
Money in the Bank ladder match which features six to eight participants. The winner of the match receives a contract, which guarantees a match for any of WWE's three world titles at the time and place of his choosing. The contract is valid for one year up to the next year's WrestleMania.
[4]
Commentators
For five of the first six,
Gorilla Monsoon and
Jesse Ventura served as the main commentators (the exception being
WrestleMania 2, which was split among three venues and had Monsoon, Ventura, and Vince McMahon split up with guest commentators), while
Bobby Heenan and others filled guest roles. For
WrestleMania VII and
VIII, Monsoon and Heenan were the main commentators. In the mid to late 1990s, the team was composed of
Vince McMahon,
Jim Ross and
Jerry "The King" Lawler. Since the brand separation in 2002-03, matches from the
Raw brand have been called by Ross and Lawler; the
SmackDown matches called by
Michael Cole,
Tazz,
John "Bradshaw" Layfield and
Jonathan Coachman and
ECW matches called by
Joey Styles and Tazz.
Howard Finkel has served as the long-standing ring announcer, but since the
WWE Brand Extension,
Lilian Garcia,
Justin Roberts, and
Tony Chimel have also filled in the role.
History
1980s
The
first WrestleMania was held by the World Wrestling Federation on March 31, 1985 at
Madison Square Garden in
New York City. The main event was a tag-team match between the WWF Champion
Hulk Hogan and
Mr. T, accompanied by
Jimmy Snuka against the team of
Roddy Piper and
Paul Orndorff, who were accompanied by
Cowboy Bob Orton. The financial and critical success of the event secured the company's status as the most successful promoter in the
United States, rising above competitors such as the
National Wrestling Alliance and
American Wrestling Association.
WrestleMania 2 was held the following year and took place in three venues across the country. The
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in
Uniondale, New York, the
Rosemont Horizon in
Rosemont, Illinois, and the
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in
Los Angeles, California each featured multiple matches that led up to the lead main event which saw the WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the challenger
King Kong Bundy in a
steel cage match.
A world indoor attendance record set of 93,173 fans was set at
WrestleMania III, which was also the largest paying attendance in the
history of professional wrestling at the time. The event is widely considered to be the pinnacle of the
1980s wrestling boom. To make certain that every seat in the Silverdome would be filled, the World Wrestling Federation decided to exclude the entire state of Michigan from
pay-per-view access to the event, which made attending the event the only way for fans in Michigan to see it.
[5] The main event featured Hogan defending the WWF Championship against
André the Giant. The moment when Hogan
body slammed André the Giant remains one of the most famous moments in professional wrestling history. The match between the
WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage and
Ricky Steamboat also gained much acclaim and popularity.
1990s
WrestleMania VI marked the first time the event was held outside of the
United States. It was held at the
SkyDome, in
Toronto,
Ontario,
Canada. In the main event match,
The Ultimate Warrior won the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan.
WrestleMania VII was originally scheduled to be held at the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, however, the event was moved to the adjacent
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for security reasons due to the
Gulf War. The event saw Hulk Hogan face
Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF Championship, while
The Undertaker made his WrestleMania debut defeating
Jimmy Snuka. Since then, The Undertaker has been
undefeated in all of his WrestleMania matches.
WrestleMania IX was the first WrestleMania held at an outdoor venue. The 10th edition of the event,
WrestleMania X saw its return to Madison Square Garden. The event featured
Owen Hart defeating his elder brother Bret, and the event was also headlined by a
ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, in which
Razor Ramon defeated
Shawn Michaels. Michaels defeated Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship in a 60-minute
Iron Man match at
WrestleMania XII. The match is considered to be one of the best matches in the history of the event.
At
WrestleMania XIV,
Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to become the new WWF Champion in a match that featured
Mike Tyson serve as the special enforcer. Although Tyson had been aligned with Michaels and his
stable,
D-Generation X, Tyson revealed to have been aligned with Austin all along as he personally counted the pinfall and declared Austin the winner. The event exemplified "
The Attitude Era".
2000s
WrestleMania 2000 featured the first ever Triangle Ladder match for the
WWF Tag Team Championship, involving the
Hardy Boyz, the
Dudley Boyz and
Edge and Christian. The main event featured the WWF Champion
Triple H (with
Stephanie McMahon) successfully defending his title against three challengers: The Rock (with
Vince McMahon),
The Big Show (with
Shane McMahon), and
Mick Foley (with
Linda McMahon).
At
WrestleMania X-Seven, Austin aligned himself with his long-time nemesis
Vince McMahon to defeat The Rock and regain the WWF Championship. The event also featured Vince McMahon and his son
Shane McMahon in a
Street Fight, while Edge and Christian won the WWF Tag Team Championship against the Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz in the second
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The event was the pinnacle of the 1990s wrestling boom, concluding
The Attitude Era. It was also the first WrestleMania held after the dissolution of the company's rival,
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the
Monday Night Wars.
WrestleMania X8 was the last WrestleMania to be produced under the WWF name and featured Triple H defeating Chris Jericho to win the
Undisputed Championship. In a memorable match billed as "Icon vs. Icon", The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan, who had rejoined the company after his 6-year stint with WCW.
WrestleMania XIX saw Steve Austin's last match to date as he faced The Rock for a third time at Wrestlmania, ending their long-running feud. Billed as a match 20 years in the making, Hulk Hogan defeated Vince McMahon. In this card it would feature
Shawn Michaels first Wrestlemania in five years as he went on to defeat
Chris Jericho. Triple H defeated
Booker T to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, while
Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle to win the WWE Championship.
World Wrestling Entertainment celebrated the 20th edition of WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden with
WrestleMania XX. The event bore the slogan "Where It All Begins...Again", celebrating the legacy of WrestleMania. The focal points of the night were the return of The Undertaker back to his deadman persona to defeat
Kane and the
World Heavyweight Championship and
WWE Championship victories of
Chris Benoit and
Eddie Guerrero respectively. The
WWE Hall of Fame was reintroduced with an annual induction show held the night before WrestleMania.
At
WrestleMania 21 the concept of the
Money in the Bank ladder match was introduced as a six-man
ladder match that featured a briefcase suspended above the ring containing a contract that guaranteed the winning
Raw brand participant a world title match at any time and place of their choosing within one year up to the next year's WrestleMania. In the main events, the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship passed on to
John Cena and
Batista respectively, while Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels in an acclaimed match. The Money in the Bank ladder match was also held at
WrestleMania 22 as a six-man
interpromotional match where the winner would get a world title match of their choosing, regardless of the brand they were on. The Money in the Bank ladder match was held yet again at
WrestleMania 23 as an interpromotional eight-man match where superstars from Raw,
ECW, and
SmackDown competed. John Cena would go on to retain his WWE Championship at both WrestleMania 22 and 23, while the same events would see
Rey Mysterio and
The Undertaker win the World Heavyweight Championship.
At
WrestleMania XXIV the professional wrestling career of
Ric Flair came to an end as he faced
Shawn Michaels in an acclaimed match. The Money in the Bank ladder match was featured as an interpromotional match with seven participants from Raw, ECW, and SmackDown. With the
ECW Championship being defended for the first time at a WrestleMania event,
Kane emerged as the new ECW Champion in a record 8 seconds, while
Randy Orton retained the WWE Championship and
The Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Championship for the second consecutive year. The event was the second WrestleMania to be held at an outdoor venue.
WrestleMania XXV was marketed as the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania (while actually being the 24th anniversary). To make this seem fit,
Chris Jericho defeated three superstars that took place in many of the first WrestleManias. These included,
Roddy Piper,
Jimmy Snuka, and
Ricky Steamboat.
John Cena won the
World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match against champion
Edge and
The Big Show.
Triple H retained his
WWE Championship against
Randy Orton in the main event.
The Undertaker also defeated
Shawn Michaels to extend his undefeated streak to 17-0 in an acclaimed match.
Celebrity involvement
Over the years, WrestleMania has featured many
celebrity appearances with varying levels of involvement.
The main event of the first WrestleMania was littered with celebrities. The ring announcer was former Yankees manager
Billy Martin, the timekeeper was
Liberace, and the special enforcer was
Muhammad Ali. Also,
Mr. T of the TV show
The A-Team
competed in the main event alongside tag team partner,
Hulk Hogan.
Mike Tyson appeared at
WrestleMania XIV as the special guest enforcer for the WWF Championship match between
Shawn Michaels and
Steve Austin. Tyson made the three count, and thus wound up awarding the title to Austin.
Some celebrities have accompanied wrestlers to the ring such as Cyndi Lauper (for
Wendi Richter),
Ozzy Osbourne (for the
British Bulldogs),
Ice-T (for
The Godfather and
D'Lo Brown),
Alice Cooper (for
Jake Roberts),
Pamela Anderson (for
Diesel), and
Jenny McCarthy (for
Shawn Michaels). At WrestleMania 23,
Donald Trump made his fifth WrestleMania appearance managing
Bobby Lashley in a match against
Umaga (managed by Vince McMahon) where the losing manager would get his head shaved.
The event has also featured live musical performances.
Ray Charles,
Aretha Franklin,
Gladys Knight,
Robert Goulet,
Willie Nelson,
Reba McEntire,
Little Richard,
The DX Band,
Boyz II Men,
Ashanti,
Boys Choir of Harlem,
Michelle Williams,
John Legend and
Nicole Scherzinger have each had their turn singing "
America the Beautiful" before the show (except for Goulet, who performed "
O Canada" at WrestleMania VI). Meanwhile acts such as
Motörhead,
Limp Bizkit,
Saliva, The DX Band,
Run-D.M.C.,
Salt-n-Pepa,
Ice-T,
Drowning Pool and
P.O.D. have also performed theme songs for the wrestlers live.
Triple H has notably had his entrance theme performed live four times, by the DX Band, Motörhead (twice) and Drowning Pool.
On occasions, the celebrities themselves may participate in the matches. One of the three main events at
WrestleMania 2 was a 20-man
battle royal pitting several
NFL superstars against the wrestling superstars including the eventual winner,
André the Giant.
Lawrence Taylor faced
Bam Bam Bigelow in a singles match and won after a forearm off the second rope.
Mr. T had two matches, first teaming up with
Hulk Hogan against
Paul Orndorff and
Roddy Piper the inaugural WrestleMania, followed by a
Boxing match at WrestleMania 2 against Roddy Piper. Mr. T won both matches with the second by disqualification. Professional boxer
Butterbean was challenged to a (
legitimate) Brawl for All Boxing match by
Bart Gunn at WrestleMania XV. Butterbean knocked Gunn out in about 30 seconds.
The Big Show faced
sumo wrestling champion
Akebono in a sumo contest at
WrestleMania 21. Big Show also fought professional welterweight boxer
Floyd "Money" Mayweather at
WrestleMania XXIV.
At WrestleManias XIV, XV and 2000,
Pete Rose was involved in a short feud with
Kane with each appearance ending with Rose receiving a Tombstone Piledriver or Chokeslam from Kane.
The San Diego Chicken was also used during this feud.
As a part of their appearances at WrestleMania, both Pete Rose and
William "Refrigerator" Perry (who participated in the WrestleMania 2 battle royal) were inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame under their celebrity wing.
At WrestleMania XXV,
Mickey Rourke attended the event as a spectator for the Handicap Elimination matches involving
Chris Jericho against WWE Legends. After Jericho defeated the three legends, Rourke was called in to the ring by Jericho. Rourke knocked down Jericho with a left jab straight to the jaw. The event also feature a 10-minute mini-concert by
Kid Rock, who performed a medley of his songs.
Dates, venues, and main events
| Event
| Date
| City
| Venue
| Main Event[Note 1
|
| WrestleMania
| March 31, 1985
| New York, New York
| Madison Square Garden
| Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff
|
| WrestleMania 2
| April 7, 1986
| Uniondale, New York
Rosemont, Illinois
Los Angeles, California
| Nassau Coliseum
Rosemont Horizon
LA Sports Arena
| Hulk Hogan (c) vs. King Kong Bundy in a Professional wrestling match types#Cages
|
| WrestleMania III
| March 29, 1987
| Pontiac, Michigan
| Pontiac Silverdome
| Hulk Hogan (c) vs. André the Giant for the WWF Championship
|
| WrestleMania IV
| March 27, 1988
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
| Trump Plaza
|
|
| WrestleMania V
| April 2, 1989
| Atlantic City, New Jersey
| Trump Plaza
| Randy Savage (c) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship
|
| WrestleMania VI
| April 1, 1990
| Toronto, Ontario
| SkyDome
| Hulk Hogan vs. Warrior (wrestler)
|
| WrestleMania VII
| March 24, 1991
| Los Angeles, California
| LA Sports Arena
| Sgt. Slaughter (c) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship
|
| WrestleMania VIII
| April 5, 1992
| Indianapolis, Indiana
| Hoosier Dome
| Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Eudy
|
| WrestleMania IX
| April 4, 1993
| Las Vegas, Nevada
| Caesars Palace
| Bret Hart (c) vs Rodney Anoa'i
|
| WrestleMania X
| March 20, 1994
| New York, New York
| Madison Square Garden
| Yokozuna (c) vs. Bret Hart for the WWF Championship
|
| WrestleMania XI
| April 2, 1995
| Hartford, Connecticut
| Hartford Civic Center
| Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
|
| WrestleMania XII
| March 31, 1996
| Anaheim, California
| Arrowhead Pond
| Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels in a 60 Minute Iron Man match for the WWF Championship
|
| WrestleMania 13
| March 23, 1997
| Rosemont, Illinois
| Rosemont Horizon
| Sycho Sid (c) vs. The Undertaker in a Professional wrestling match types#No Disqualification match
|
| WrestleMania XIV
| March 29, 1998
| Boston, Massachusetts
| Fleet Center
| Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
|
| WrestleMania XV
| March 28, 1999
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| First Union Center
| Dwayne Johnson
|
| WrestleMania 2000
| April 2, 2000
| Anaheim, California
| Arrowhead Pond
| Triple H (c) vs. The Rock vs. Paul Wight
|
| WrestleMania X-Seven
| April 1, 2001
| Houston, Texas
| Reliant Astrodome
| The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin in a No Disqualification match for the WWF Championship
|
| WrestleMania X8
| March 17, 2002
| Toronto, Ontario
| SkyDome
| Chris Jericho (c) vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship
|
| WrestleMania XIX
| March 30, 2003
| Seattle, Washington
| Safeco Field
| Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship
|
| WrestleMania XX
| March 14, 2004
| New York, New York
| Madison Square Garden
| Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels in a Professional wrestling match types#Basic non-elimination matches
|
| WrestleMania 21
| April 3, 2005
| Los Angeles, California
| Staples Center
| Triple H (c) vs. Dave Batista
|
| WrestleMania 22
| April 2, 2006
| Rosemont, Illinois
| Allstate Arena
| John Cena (c) vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship
|
| WrestleMania 23
| April 1, 2007
| Detroit, Michigan
| Ford Field
| John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship
|
| WrestleMania XXIV
| March 30, 2008
| Orlando, Florida
| Citrus Bowl
| Adam Copeland
|
| WrestleMania XXV
| April 5, 2009
| Houston, Texas
| Reliant Stadium
| Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
|
| WrestleMania XXVI
| March 28, 2010
| Glendale, Arizona
| University of Phoenix Stadium [6]
| TBD
|
^
1. This refers to the final match on the card. On three occasions, the match listed as the headline event in promotional materials took place earlier: Hulk Hogan vs. André the Giant at WrestleMania IV
[7], Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8
[8] and Hulk Hogan vs.
Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XIX
[9]
^
2. Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna was the scheduled main event, but an impromptu match between Yokozuna and Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship occurred after it.
Video box sets
Several
VHS and
DVD box sets have been released over the years:
- In 1994, a VHS set with WrestleManias 1-X was released.
- In 1997, a VHS set with WrestleManias 1-13 was released.
- In 1998, a VHS set titled "WrestleMania: The Legacy" with WrestleManias 1-XIV was released. The set was re-released in 1999, this time including XV.
- In 2005, a DVD set titled "WrestleMania: The Complete Anthology" with WrestleManias 1-21 was released; this marked the first time WrestleManias 1-XIV were released on DVD in Region 1. The set was re-released in 2006, this time including WrestleMania 22. [10]
- In 2007, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the event, WWE released a special "Championship Edition" DVD of WrestleMania III. The two-disc set includes the event itself, another version of the event that includes pop-up facts, and pre-event interviews and extra matches from notable shows such as Saturday Night's Main Event
.
References
- Risk and reward
- WrestleMania XXV travel packages
- Tickets punched for WrestleMania
- Results:Money in the Bank ladder match
- WrestleMania III remembered
- Arizona Hosts WrestleMania XXVI
- Title Unavailable
- Title Unavailable
- Title Unavailable
- WWE Shop: WrestleMania Anthology 1-22 Box Set