WrestleMania 22

WrestleMania 22
File:WM22wwelogo.jpg
Promotion	World Wrestling Entertainment
Date	April 2, 2006
City	Rosemont, Illinois
Venue	Allstate Arena
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous No Way Out 2006 Next → Backlash 2006

WrestleMania 22 is a forthcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view event, scheduled to take place on April 2, 2006 in Rosemont, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. It will be the twenty-second annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, and the third to take place in the Chicago, Illinois area (along with WrestleMania 13 and a portion of WrestleMania 2).

WWE claimed that tickets for the event sold out in less than two minutes after going on sale at 10:00 A.M. (CDT) on October 15, 2005.

The tagline for WrestleMania 22 is Big Time, based on the event's main theme song, "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel. Secondary themes for the event include "I Dare You" by Shinedown, "Baby Hates Me" by Danko Jones and "Save Me Sorrow" by Bullets and Octane.

Jim Ross will call the RAW matches alongside Jerry "The King" Lawler and Jonathan Coachman, and Michael Cole will call the SmackDown! matches alongside Tazz.

A post-game show will be broadcast live after WrestleMania 22 on WWE.com. It will be hosted by RAW and SmackDown! announcers, will feature live Superstar interviews, highlights and more.

Scheduled matches

• RAW Main Event for the WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Triple H

• SmackDown! Main Event Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio

• No Holds Barred Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon

• Interpromotional Money In The Bank Ladder Match: WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin (RAW) vs. Rob Van Dam (RAW) vs. Ric Flair (RAW) vs. Finlay (SmackDown!) vs. Matt Hardy (SmackDown!) vs. Bobby Lashley (SmackDown!)
  • The winner of this match is guaranteed a title match against either SmackDown!'s World Heavyweight Champion or RAW's WWE Champion at any time within the following year up to and including WrestleMania 23.

• Casket Match: The Undertaker vs. Mark Henry

• Hardcore Match: Edge vs. Mick Foley

• For the WWE United States Championship: Chris Benoit (c) vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield

• For the World Tag Team Championship: Kane & The Big Show (c) vs. Carlito & Chris Masters

• For the WWE Women's Championship: Trish Stratus (c) vs. Mickie James

• Handicap Match: Booker T & Sharmell vs. The Boogeyman

• Playboy Pillow Fight: Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2006

One day prior to WrestleMania 22, the induction ceremony for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2006 will be held at the Rosemont Theatre near the Allstate Arena. The first two hours of the ceremony will be shown live on WWE.com, and the last hour will be televised on the USA Network. It will be aired in Canada on TSN the night after WrestleMania 22. During WrestleMania itself, the inductees will appear on stage and be announced again (with the exception of Bret Hart, who claimed in a series of March 2006 interviews that he would not appear at WrestleMania ^{[1], [2]}). The following have been confirmed to be inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame:

• Bret Hart (to be inducted by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin)
• Eddie Guerrero (to be inducted by Chris Benoit, Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Rey Mysterio)
• "Mean" Gene Okerlund (to be inducted by Hulk Hogan)
• Sherri Martel (to be inducted by Ted DiBiase)
• Verne Gagne (to be inducted by Greg Gagne)
• Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza (to be inducted by Bobby Heenan)
• Tony Atlas (to be inducted by Special Delivery (S.D.) Jones)
• William "The Refrigerator" Perry (to be inducted by John Cena)

Trivia

• The name of the theme song for WrestleMania 22, Big Time, was also the name of the theme song for WrestleMania 21, however it was spelled "Bigtime" and was performed by The Soundtrack of Our Lives.
• This is the fourth consecutive, and fifth overall, WrestleMania where the Intercontinental Championship is not defended (the other four being XII, XIX, XX, and 21).
• This is the third consecutive WrestleMania where the Intercontinental Champion wrestles in a match where he is not defending his title (Randy Orton was involved in a Handicap Match at WrestleMania XX and Shelton Benjamin participated in the first "Money in the Bank" ladder match at WrestleMania 21).
• This is the second consecutive WrestleMania where Shelton Benjamin goes into the "Money in the Bank" match as Intercontinental Champion. He is the only man entering any "Money in the Bank" ladder match, so far, as a title holder.
• The Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker Casket Match is the first ever Casket Match at a WrestleMania. Mark Henry will also be the first ever African American to go against the Undertaker at a Wrestlemania. This will also be the first Casket Match for a Wrestlemania event.

• The Casket Match will mark the second time The Undertaker has participated in a match at WrestleMania with a special stipulation, the first being WrestleMania XV in a Hell in a Cell match and the second to be the casket match against Henry. His match at WrestleMania XIX against The Big Show & A-Train was a scheduled Tag Team Match, not a Handicap Match as previously speculated. His originally scheduled partner, Nathan Jones, later assisted the Undertaker in defeating The Big Show & A-Train.
• This is Triple H's 3rd consecutive WrestleMania main event match and fifth overall. It should be noted that each of these has involved Triple H in a championship match.
• Finlay, Bobby Lashley, Mickie James, Candice Michelle, Sharmell, and The Boogeyman will all make their WrestleMania debuts at WrestleMania 22. Chris Masters will make his televised WrestleMania debut and Carlito will make his competitive WrestleMania debut. (Carlito made an appearance on Piper's Pit and Chris Masters was involved in the untelevised interpromotional Battle Royal, both at WrestleMania 21).
• This is the first time since WrestleMania XV that the World Tag Team Championship have been defended in a traditional 2 on 2 tag match.
• This is Vince McMahon's third match at a WrestleMania following bouts with his son, Shane McMahon at WrestleMania X-Seven and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania XIX. He has lost on both occasions. This is also the third time at WrestleMania that his match will be contested with special stipulations (He faced Shane and Hogan in Street Fights, and will face Michaels in a No Holds Barred Match).
• Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child will sing America the Beautiful and P.O.D. will play Rey Mysterio's entrance theme "Booyaka 619" at WrestleMania 22.
• This WrestleMania had two alternate logos released before the third and final logo was decided. The first [3] and second [4] were similiar to that of WrestleMania 21 and were released in promotional vidoes and advertisements. The third and final logo released is the first since WrestleMania XV to make use of the classic font from the first fifteen WrestleMania events.
• This marks the first time since WrestleMania X8 that Triple H will not be going into WrestleMania as a World Champion.

• This will be the second triple threat match for the World Heavy Weight Championship at Wrestlemania 22; Kurt Angle VS Randy Orton VS 2006 Royal Rumble winner, Rey Mysterio. The first one was a RAW triple threat match at Wrestlemania XX; Triple H VS Shawn Michaels VS then RAW star and 2004 Royal Rumble Winner, then RAW star, Chris Benoit. This will also be the first Smackdown! triple threat match.

References

1. ^ Hitman has his day
2. ^ Bret Hart opens up

External links

• Official WrestleMania Website