WrestleMania
- For other uses, see WrestleMania (disambiguation).
- This article is about the WrestleMania PPV series in general, for the first WrestleMania itself, see WrestleMania (1985).
WrestleMania is the flagship professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It is the most famous and longest-running of all major professional wrestling events in the world and is nicknamed "The Grandaddy Of Them All" and "The Grandest Stage Of Them All." It is held annually in the last week of March or first week of April. First held in 1985, 23 editions of WrestleMania have been produced thus far, with WrestleMania 24 to be held in 2008.
Produced 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, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and John Cena, amongst others. Numerous celebrities such as Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Aretha Franklin, Donald Trump 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 Heavyweight Championships and other championship titles, specialty and gimmick matches. Participation in a WrestleMania match or 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 to sale. The first WrestleMania was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City; subsequently, the 10th and 20th anniversary editions have also been held there. WrestleMania III in Detroit was the highest-attended 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 Detroit (93,000 people), WrestleMania VI in Toronto (80,000 people), WrestleMania VIII in Indianapolis (67,000 people), WrestleMania X7 in Houston (67,000 people) and WrestleMania 23 in Detroit (80,000 people). The original venue of Madison Square Garden in New York City is considered to be the home of WrestleMania.
The format of WrestleMania is built upon the main-event matches for the WWE Championship and more recently also for the World Heavyweight Championship. A select number of championship titles are also contested, while there are several gimmick matches and personal feud matches on the card.
For the first decade, Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan served as the main play-by-play commentators, while Jesse Ventura and others filled guest roles. In the 1990s, the play-by-play 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 and now John Bradshaw Layfield and ECW matches called by Joey Styles and Tazz. Howard Finkel has served as the long-standing ring announcer, but since the brand separation Lillian Garcia 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. 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 Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, who were accompanied by Cowboy Bob Orton. It has been stated that the company owner Vince McMahon pooled almost all his assets into organizing the event; its success made the WWE the most successful promotion, 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; 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 venue had one main event match with a large undercard. The lead event saw the WWE Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the challenger King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage Match.
WrestleMania III saw the attendance of 93,173 fans, which is the largest recorded attendance for a live indoor sporting event in North America, and the largest paying crowd in the history of professional wrestling. To make certain that all 90,000 seats at 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 watch the pay-per-view.[1] It is the largest North American indoor crowd to witness a sporting event. Although this number is sometimes disputed, the event is still widely considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980s wrestling boom. The main event featured Hogan defend the WWE Title against Andre The Giant; the moment when Hogan power-slammed Andre The Giant remains one of the most famous moments in professional wrestling. The match between the WWE Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat also gained much acclaim and popularity. After a controversial rematch between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant for the WWF Championship, the title was declared vacant. At WrestleMania IV in Atlantic City featured, among other contests, a tournament for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship which was won by Randy Savage, who defeated Ted DiBiase in the final tournament match. WrestleMania V, held again in Atlantic City, saw Hogan regain the championship from Randy Savage.
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 WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan; after being pinned, Hogan in a famous scene, took the championship belt and personally gave it to the new champion and celebrated with him.
WrestleMania VII was originally supposed to be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, however, it was decided to move the event to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The World Wrestling Federation's reason for the venue change was because a threat had been issued towards the company. The Undertaker also made his WrestleMania debut at this event, defeating Jimmy Snuka. Since then, The Undertaker has been undefeated in all of his WrestleMania matches. WrestleMania VIII saw Randy Savage win the WWE Title from Ric Flair and Hogan challenge Sid Justice. WrestleMania IX, held at Cesar's Palace in Las Vegas, featured two main-event matches; Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart for the WWE Championship when his manager Mr. Fuji threw salt in Hart's eyes. Hogan, who had come to assist a struggling Hart after the match was challenged by Mr. Fuji; egged on by the crowd and Hart, Hogan went on to quickly pin to once again become the champion.
The 10th anniversary of WrestleMania saw its return to Madison Square Garden. WWE Champion Yokozuna first defended his title against Lex Luger, who defeated Yokozuna via disqualification, as a result of which, Yokozuna retained the title. In the second title match and the main-event, Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna to regain the WWE Championship he had lost a year earlier; Hart was joined in celebration by Lex Luger and many other wrestlers, who hoisted him on their shoulders before the cheering audience. The event also featured Owen Hart defeating his elder brother Bret in a match in an earlier match, which was acclaimed for the technical wrestling prowess exhibited by both wrestlers and the popular sibling feud. In a Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Title, Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels - the match remains iconic and is considered definitive for all future Ladder Matches and Shawn Michaels' amazing athleticism.
WrestleMania XI in 1995 in Hartford, Connecticut saw the reigning WWE Champion Diesel, accompanied by Pamela Anderson defeated Shawn Michaels, who was accompanied by his bodyguard Sycho Sid. The following year, Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart to win the WWE Championship in a 60-minute Iron Man Match, which is considered by many fans and wrestlers alike as the best of all WrestleMania matches. WrestleMania XIII held in Rosemont, Illinois saw The Undertaker defeat Sycho Sid to win the WWE Title, but the event is remembered most for the "I Quit" Match between Bret Hart and the rising star, Stone Cold Steve Austin in a match refereed by Ken Shamrock. In an iconic and well-remembered moment, Austin passed out due to bleeding rather than submit to Hart's signature submission hold, the Sharpshooter. Although Hart was declared the winner, Austin's defiant heroism won him the adolation of the fans and increased his popularity. The following year at WrestleMania XIV in Boston, Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to become the new WWE Champion, in a match where Mike Tyson served as the special enforcer; although he had been aligned with Michaels and his stable, D-Generation X, he betrayed them by making the three-count when Austin pinned Michaels (owing to the absence of the unconscious official referee) and declaring him the winner. The event is considered the beginning of the Attitude Era in wrestling and the widespread popularity of Austin. At WrestleMania XV in Philadelphia, Austin overcame another rising star and the WWE Champion, The Rock, who was aided by his arch-nemesis, the WWE owner Vince McMahon, in character as the evil boss "Mr. McMahon."
2000s
WrestleMania X-Seven is considered as the event that concluded the same era for the WWF and the pinnacle of the 1990s wrestling boom.
WrestleMania XIX marked the first WrestleMania event since the introduction of the brand extension along with the company's name change to World Wrestling Entertainment.
WWE celebrated their 20th event, WrestleMania XX, again at Madison Square Garden. Along with it was the reintroduction of the WWE Hall of Fame, 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 winner a World Championship match at any time and place of their choosing within one year of winning the ladder match. The Money in the Bank ladder match was also held at WrestleMania 22 as an interpromotional match and again at WrestleMania 23 as an interpromotional eight-man match.
Since 1993, the winner of the annual Royal Rumble match has received a guaranteed WWE Championship match at that year's WrestleMania. Then with the creation of the World Heavyweight Championship in 2002, the winner has since been able to choose to receive World Heavyweight Championship match instead. However, 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.
As of February 15, 2007, ticket sales for WrestleMania 23 stood at over $5 million USD, with more than 63,000 tickets sold (the attendance for the event would end up to be 80,103). This makes WrestleMania 23 the highest-grossing pay-per-view in WWE history as well as the highest-grossing event in North American professional wrestling history, shattering the previous record of $3.9 million USD ($6.1 million CAD) held at WrestleMania X8.[2][3]
Celebrity involvement
Over the years, WrestleMania has been subjected to celebrity appearances, some of them going further than just attending the event.
The main event of the first WrestleMania was littered with celebrities. The ring announcer was former Yankees manager Billy Martin, the timekeeper was 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, and Michelle Williams have each had their turn singing America the Beautiful before the show (except for Goulet, who performed O Canada at WM 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.
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.
WrestleMania dates and venues
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
- ^ "WrestleMania III remembered". Retrieved March 8.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "WWE's WrestleMania 23 Breaks Record, Tops $5 Million In Ticket Sales". Retrieved 2007-02-16.
- ^ "WrestleMania X8 Sets Revenue, Attendance Records". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
- ^ "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.