WrestleMania
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- This article is about the WrestleMania PPV series in general, for the first WrestleMania itself, see WrestleMania (1985).
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 World Wrestling Federation). It is considered the flagship pay-per-view event of WWE, as it is the most successful, longest-running professional wrestling event in the world and is nicknamed "The Grandaddy of Them All", "The Grandest Stage of Them All" and "The Showcase of Immortals."[1] The event was first produced in 1985, since then, 24 editions of WrestleMania have been produced thus far, with WrestleMania XXV to be held in 2009.[2]
Produced and 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 Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, 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-Symone, Kim Kardashian and others have participated or made special appearances in the events. The products of the WWE's television shows are tailored to reach their climax at WrestleMania, which sees contests for the company's championship titles, 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 professional success.
WrestleMania propels the worldwide commercial success of the WWE through merchandise, media and shows. All 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; subsequently, the 10th and 20th editions have also been held there. WrestleMania III in Detroit was the highest-attended indoor sports event in the world, with more than 93,000 in attendance. All but two editions have been hosted in U.S. cities - two being held in Toronto, Canada - but the show is televised across the world.
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) and WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando (74,635 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 at WrestleMania 23 was also added in 2007.
Commentators
For the first six, Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura served as the main commentators, while Bobby Heenan and others filled guest roles. In the mid to late 1990s, the team 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 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, Lillian 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. Along with the special appearances of Liberace and Cyndi Lauper, the main event featured Muhammad Ali as the special guest referee and Billy Martin as the special guest ring announcer. The main event itself 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 promotion in the United States, rising above competitors such as the National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association.
WrestleMania II 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.
WrestleMania III saw a world indoor attendance record set of 93,173 fans, 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. This made attending the event the only way for fans in Michigan to see it.[3] The main event featured Hogan defend the WWE 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.
WrestleMania IV in Atlantic City, New Jersey featured, among other contests, a tournament for the WWF Championship. Randy Savage won the title by defeating Ted DiBiase in the finals. WrestleMania V, held again in Atlantic City, was headlined by Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Hulk Hogan emerged as the WWF Champion.
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. The event featured another famous main event match, which saw The Ultimate Warrior win the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan. In a memorable scene, Hulk Hogan presented the championship belt to The Ultimate Warrior and celebrated with him.
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 VIII featured Randy Savage and Ric Flair in a match for the WWF Championship and Hulk Hogan challenging Sid Justice. The following year at WrestleMania IX, the first WrestleMania held at an outdoor venue, featured two main event matches. Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. Soon after, Hulk Hogan, who had come to assist Hart after the match, was challenged by Yokozuna's manager, Mr. Fuji. Hogan went on to defeat Yokozuna to once again become champion.
The 10th edition of the event, WrestleMania X saw its return to Madison Square Garden. WWF Champion Yokozuna first defended his title against Lex Luger. In the second title match and the event, Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna to regain the WWF Championship he had lost a year earlier to Yokozuna. The event also featured Owen Hart defeating his elder brother Bret in an acclaimed match. The event was also headlined by a Ladder Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, in which Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels. The match remains an iconic moment in the event's history.
WrestleMania XI featured the WWF Champion Diesel defeat Shawn Michaels to retain the title and the former NFL player Lawrence Taylor faced Bam Bam Bigelow in a singles match and won after a forearm off the second rope. The following year at WrestleMania XII, Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship in a 60-minute Iron Man match. The match is considered to be one of the best matches in the history of the event.
WrestleMania 13 was headlined by The Undertaker and Sycho Sid for the WWF Championship. The event also featured an acclaimed Submisson Match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin. In an iconic and memorable moment, Austin refused to submit to Hart's signature submission hold, the Sharpshooter, and held on for minutes until finally fainting. Although Hart was declared the winner, Austin's defiant heroism won him the admiration of the fans and increased his popularity.
At WrestleMania XIV 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 marked the start of the "Attitude Era". The following year at WrestleMania XV, Austin regained the WWF Championship when he defeated the WWF Champion, The Rock.
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 reigning WWF Intercontinental and European Champion Kurt Angle unsuccessfully defended his two titles against Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho. 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 the most enticing feud of the era ended when Austin aligned himself with his long-time nemesis Mr. McMahon to defeat The Rock and regain the WWF Championship. The event also featured Mr. 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, the last WrestleMania to be produced under the WWF name, featured Triple H defeat Chris Jericho to win 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, ending their long-running feud. Billed as a match 20 years in the making, Hulk Hogan defeated Mr. McMahon. 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 WWE Hall of Fame was reintroduced with an annual induction show held the night before WrestleMania. In the dual main events, the WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero defeated Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
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 superstar a world title match at any time and place of their choosing within one year of winning the Ladder match. 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 all competed for a shot at any world title they wanted. John Cena would go on to retain his WWE Championship against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at both WrestleMania 22 and 23, while the same events would see Royal Rumble winners, 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, while Randy Orton retained the WWE Championship and The Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Championship for the second year in a row. The event was the second WrestleMania to be held at an outdoor venue.
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, and John Legend 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 DMC, 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. 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.
Dates, venues, and main events
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.[4]
- 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 WWE Saturday Night's Main Event.
References
- ^ Tello, Craig (2008-02-25). "Risk and reward". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
Earlier today at the WrestleMania XXIV press conference, the trail to the year's biggest sports-entertainment spectacle heated up weeks before WWE dips south to Orlando, Fla., for The Granddaddy of Them All.
- ^ "WrestleMania XXV travel packages". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^ "WrestleMania III remembered". Retrieved 2007-03-08.
- ^ "WWE Shop: WrestleMania Anthology 1-22 Box Set". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
Further reading
- Basil V. Devito & Joe Layden (2001). WWF WrestleMania : The Official Insider's Story. HarperCollinsWillow. ISBN 0-0071-0667-X.
External links
- The official website of WrestleMania
- Arash Markazi (2008-03-28). "Running down WrestleMania history". Sports Illustrated.
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