WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced annually in mid-late March or early April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. WWE first produced the event in 1985 to be its premier annual event and has since produced twenty-eight editions with the twenty-ninth scheduled to take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2013. WWE regards it as a flagship event due to it being the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. WrestleMania was conceptualized by WWE owner Vince McMahon.
WrestleMania's widespread success helped transform the professional wrestling industry and make WWE the most successful wrestling promotion in the world. The event has facilitated the rise to stardom of wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, Batista, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. Celebrities such as Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Floyd Mayweather, Snoop Dogg and others have participated or made special appearances within the events.
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 the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, Michigan was the highest-attended indoor sports event in the world, with 93,173 fans in attendance. The record stood until February 14, 2010, when the 2010 NBA All-Star Game broke the indoor sporting event record with an attendance of 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium. All but the two editions held in Toronto, Canada have been hosted in U.S. cities.
Organization
The WrestleMania logos used for the I-XXVIII events
While WrestleMania events have taken place mostly in sports arenas in large cities, a number of them have occurred in large stadiums. The most-attended events include WrestleMania III (93,173) in Pontiac, WrestleMania VI (67,678) in Toronto, WrestleMania VIII (62,167) in Indianapolis, WrestleMania X-Seven (67,925) in Houston, WrestleMania X8 (68,237) also in Toronto, WrestleMania XIX (54,097) in Seattle, WrestleMania 23 (80,103) in Detroit, WrestleMania XXIV (74,635) in Orlando, WrestleMania XXV (72,744) also in Houston, WrestleMania XXVI (72,219) in Glendale, WrestleMania XXVII (71,617) in Atlanta and WrestleMania XXVIII (78,363) in Miami .
WrestleMania centers on the main event matches for the WWE Championship, and since WrestleMania XIX, the World Heavyweight Championship. The ECW World Championship was only defended once—at WrestleMania XXIV. Other WWE championships are also contested for, while gimmick matches and personal feud matches also take place on the match card.
Since 1993, the winner of the annual Royal Rumble match has been able to receive a guaranteed WWE Championship match at the same year's WrestleMania. With the introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship in 2002, the winner is also given the option to choose between the world title or the WWE championship. The creation of the ECW brand in June 2006 gave the Rumble winner a third option: to choose to challenge for the ECW World Championship. This option was made available from 2007 until the brand was retired in 2010.
WrestleMania 21 saw the introduction of the Money in the Bank ladder match. This match features six to ten participants and took place at six WrestleManias between 2005 and 2010 before becoming the headline match of its own pay-per-view event, Money in the Bank which incorporated the use of two Money in the Bank ladder matches for both respective WWE brands, SmackDown and Raw. The participant who retrieves the briefcase suspended above the ring wins a contract, which guarantees a world title match at the time and place of the winner's choosing for up to one year, including the following year's WrestleMania.
History
1980s
Mr. T and Hulk Hogan at the first WrestleMania event.
The World Wrestling Federation staged the first WrestleMania 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 promotion in the United States, rising above competitors such as the National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association. In attendance were business celebrity Sy Sperling and broadcasting executive Tony D'Angelo. 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. They each featured multiple matches that led up to the main event; this saw WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the challenger King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match.
A world indoor attendance-record 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 WWF 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.The event featured Hulk Hogan defending the WWF Championship against André the Giant and the WWF Intercontinental Championship match between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat.
WrestleMania IV was an all tournament event to crown a new WWF Champion. The second round of the tournament featured a rematch of the previous year's main event between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant while Randy Savage went on to defeat Ted DiBiase in the finals. The event returned the following year to Atlantic City, New Jersey for WrestleMania V, in which Hulk Hogan defeated Randy Savage for the WWF Championship Savage had won the previous year.
1990s
The first time WrestleMania took place outside of the United States was WrestleMania VI, which was held at the SkyDome, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the main event match, The Ultimate Warrior won the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan. The following year, the event returned to the United States for WrestleMania VII, which was originally scheduled to be held at the outdoors Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The event was moved to the adjacent indoors Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for security reasons related 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.[10] The next edition, WrestleMania VIII, was held in the Hoosier Dome with Macho Man Randy Savage defeating Ric Flair for the WWF Championship and Hulk Hogan defeating Sid Justice via disqualification.
The Undertaker has been undefeated at WrestleMania with a 20–0 winning streak
Shawn Michaels returned from retirement in the 2000s to consistently produce Match-of-the-Year candidates at the event – earning himself the moniker ‘Mr. WrestleMania’
WrestleMania IX was the first WrestleMania held at an outdoor venue. It was also the first and only time in Wrestlemania history that the WWF title switched twice. Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart to become the WWF Champion, only to lose it to Hulk Hogan. The tenth edition of the event, WrestleMania X saw its return to Madison Square Garden. The event featured Owen Hart defeating his elder brother Bret; a ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship also headlined, in which Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels. Bret having been defeated earlier won the WWF title from Yokozuna in the main event. Bret is the only wrestler in Wrestlemania history to lose his first match and come back to win the WWF title in the main event. 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. The event also saw the return of the Ultimate Warrior who defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (later known as Triple H) in the latter's WrestleMania debut.. The following year at WrestleMania 13, a submission match pitted Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin against one another in a bout that received much acclaim and The Undertaker defeated Psycho Sid for the WWF Championship in the main event.
At WrestleMania XIV, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to become the new WWF Champion in a match that featured Mike Tyson serving 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 Undertaker and Kane fought for first time at this event where The Undertaker won. The event became known for starting "The Attitude Era." The following year at WrestleMania XV, Austin defeated The Rock to regain the WWF Championship. The event featured the first of many encounters at WrestleMania between Steve Austin and The Rock in the rivalry of the two most prominent and popular stars of 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 successfully defending his title in a fatal four way match against three challengers: The Rock, The Big Show and Mick Foley. This match was billed as having 'a McMahon in every corner' as Triple H was accompanied by Stephanie McMahon, The Rock by Vince McMahon, The Big Show by Shane McMahon and Mick Foley by Linda McMahon.
At WrestleMania X-Seven, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock and regained the WWF Championship. The event also featured Vince and 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. Steve Austin, The Rock and The Undertaker defeated Scott Hall with Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair respectively, all whom had rejoined the company after their stints with WCW. WrestleMania XIX saw Steve Austin's last match to date as he faced The Rock for a third time at WrestleMania, ending their long-running feud. Hulk Hogan defeated Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels participated in his first WrestleMania match in five years, defeating Chris Jericho. The World Heavyweight Championship was defended for the first time at the event with Triple H retaining against Booker T, while Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle to win the WWE Championship.
World Wrestling Entertainment celebrated the twentieth edition of WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden with WrestleMania XX. The event featured The Undertaker (who returned to his Deadman persona) defeating then-unmasked Kane in their second encounter and the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship victories of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, respectively. The event also featured The Rock and Sock Connection versus Batista, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair of Evolution where this 2-on-3 handicap match saw The Rock's last match for over seven years, as well as Steve Austin as the guest referee in an interpromotional singles match between the departing superstars Brock Lesnar (who would return to the company eight years later) and Bill Goldberg. The WWE Hall of Fame was reintroduced with an annual induction show held the night before WrestleMania.
An attendance record setting 74,635 fans at the Citrus Bowl for WrestleMania XXIV
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 by defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Triple H in their respective matches. The event also featured the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin after a year long hiatus, while Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels in a highly 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. At WrestleMania 23, the Money in the Bank match expanded to include eight men and would include stars from the revived ECW brand. 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 respectively. Representing Donald Trump, ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Umaga, who represented Vince McMahon, in a match billed as the "battle of the billionaires" and arbitrated by Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 23.
At WrestleMania XXIV, Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in a highly acclaimed match, while the Money in the Bank ladder match included seven participants from all three brands. The ECW Championship was defended for the only time at a WrestleMania event, when 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, defeating Edge. In an encounter that featured major media coverage, boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. defeated The Big Show. The event was the second WrestleMania to be held at an outdoor venue. WrestleMania XXV featured Chris Jericho defeating WWE Hall of Famers Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and Ricky Steamboat in a match that featured appearances by Ric Flair and actor Mickey Rourke. Shawn Michaels unsuccessfully attempted to hand The Undertaker his first defeat at a WrestleMania in an acclaimed match, and the WWE Intercontinental Championship was defended at the event for the first time since WrestleMania X8 with Rey Mysterio defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield. John Cena defeated Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship also involving The Big Show, while Triple H retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton.
2010s
An attendance record setting 78,363 fans at Sun Life Stadium for WrestleMania XXVIII
At WrestleMania XXVI, the professional wrestling career of Shawn Michaels came to an end as he faced The Undertaker in a highly acclaimed re-match of their encounter from the previous year. The event also featured John Cena winning the WWE Championship and Chris Jericho retaining the World Heavyweight Championship. Following Bret Hart's return to WWE in over twelve years since the Montreal Screwjob incident, Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon in a No-Holds Barred match with members of the Hart wrestling family present.
WrestleMania XXVII featured the return of The Rock following a seven year hiatus to serve as host for the event. Trish Stratus competed in her first WrestleMania since the twenty-second edition, teaming with John Morrison and Jersey Shore's Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi to defeat LayCool and Dolph Ziggler. Longtime WWE announcers Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler brawled in a match officiated by Stone Cold Steve Austin, while Triple H failed in his attempt to avenge Shawn Michaels' loss to The Undertaker from a year prior. This was the first WrestleMania in history in which both the World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Champion were able to successfully retain their titles. World Heavyweight Champion Edge defeated the challenger Alberto Del Rio in what would be Edge's last match before his retirement on April 11, and The Rock closed out the event saluting the fans after laying out John Cena and The Miz following Miz retaining the WWE Championship. This incident would set up the main event for the following year's WrestleMania.
WrestleMania XXVIII had 4 main event matches. The first main event match was for the World Heavyweight Championship, where Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan for the title in 18 seconds. In the second main event, The Undertaker defeated Triple H in a Hell in the Cell match via pinfall, officiated by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, extending his Wrestlemania streak to 20–0. The third main event featured CM Punk retaining the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho, via submission. And in the final main event of the evening, The Rock defeated John Cena via pinfall, in a "Once in a Lifetime" match.
Dates, venues, and main events
Event Date City Venue Main Event(s)
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 Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper in a Boxing match
Battle Royal featuring superstars and athletes from the WWF and NFL
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania III March 29, 1987 Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac Silverdome Hulk Hogan (c) vs. André The Giant for the WWF Championship[20]
WrestleMania IV March 27, 1988 Atlantic City, New Jersey Trump Plaza Hulk Hogan vs. André The Giant[Note 2]
Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase in a tournament final for the vacant WWF Championship
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. The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF and Intercontinental Championships
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 Ric Flair (c) vs. Randy Savage for the WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan vs. Sycho Sid
WrestleMania IX April 4, 1993 Las Vegas, Nevada Caesars Palace Bret Hart (c) vs. Yokozuna for the WWF Championship
Yokozuna (c) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania X March 20, 1994 New York, New York Madison Square Garden Yokozuna (c) vs. Lex Luger for the WWF Championship
Yokozuna (c) vs. Bret Hart for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania XI April 2, 1995 Hartford, Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Diesel (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship
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 No disqualification match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania XIV March 29, 1998 Boston, Massachusetts FleetCenter Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Steve Austin for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania XV March 28, 1999 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania First Union Center The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin in a No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania 2000 April 2, 2000 Anaheim, California Arrowhead Pond Triple H (c) vs. The Rock vs. Big Show vs. Mick Foley in a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania X-Seven April 1, 2001 Houston, Texas Astrodome The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin in a No Disqualification match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania X8 March 17, 2002 Toronto, Ontario SkyDome The Rock vs Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Triple H for the Undisputed Championship
WrestleMania XIX March 30, 2003 Seattle, Washington Safeco Field Triple H (c) vs. Booker T for the World Heavyweight Championship
Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon in a Street Fight Match
The Rock vs. Steve Austin
Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XX March 14, 2004 New York, New York Madison Square Garden Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg
Kane vs. Undertaker
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship
WrestleMania 21 April 3, 2005 Los Angeles, California Staples Center John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship
WrestleMania 22 April 2, 2006 Rosemont, Illinois Allstate Arena Kurt Angle (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania 23 April 1, 2007 Detroit, Michigan Ford Field Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bobby Lashley (for Donald Trump) vs. Umaga (for Vince McMahon) in a Hair vs. Hair Match
John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XXIV March 30, 2008 Orlando, Florida Citrus Bowl Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Kane for the ECW Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Big Show in a No Disqualification Match
Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
WrestleMania XXV April 5, 2009 Houston, Texas Reliant Stadium The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels
Edge (c) vs. John Cena vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XXVI March 28, 2010 Glendale, Arizona University of Phoenix Stadium[1] Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart in a No Holds Barred Match
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship
Batista (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in a Streak vs Career Match
WrestleMania XXVII April 3, 2011 Atlanta, Georgia Georgia Dome Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship
The Undertaker vs. Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XXVIII April 1, 2012 Miami Gardens, Florida Sun Life Stadium Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship
The Undertaker vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match
CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship
The Rock vs. John Cena
WrestleMania XXIX April 7, 2013 East Rutherford, New Jersey MetLife Stadium
WrestleMania XXX March 30, 2014 TBA TBA
WrestleMania's widespread success helped transform the professional wrestling industry and make WWE the most successful wrestling promotion in the world. The event has facilitated the rise to stardom of wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, Batista, Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. Celebrities such as Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Floyd Mayweather, Snoop Dogg and others have participated or made special appearances within the events.
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 the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, Michigan was the highest-attended indoor sports event in the world, with 93,173 fans in attendance. The record stood until February 14, 2010, when the 2010 NBA All-Star Game broke the indoor sporting event record with an attendance of 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium. All but the two editions held in Toronto, Canada have been hosted in U.S. cities.
Organization
The WrestleMania logos used for the I-XXVIII events
While WrestleMania events have taken place mostly in sports arenas in large cities, a number of them have occurred in large stadiums. The most-attended events include WrestleMania III (93,173) in Pontiac, WrestleMania VI (67,678) in Toronto, WrestleMania VIII (62,167) in Indianapolis, WrestleMania X-Seven (67,925) in Houston, WrestleMania X8 (68,237) also in Toronto, WrestleMania XIX (54,097) in Seattle, WrestleMania 23 (80,103) in Detroit, WrestleMania XXIV (74,635) in Orlando, WrestleMania XXV (72,744) also in Houston, WrestleMania XXVI (72,219) in Glendale, WrestleMania XXVII (71,617) in Atlanta and WrestleMania XXVIII (78,363) in Miami .
WrestleMania centers on the main event matches for the WWE Championship, and since WrestleMania XIX, the World Heavyweight Championship. The ECW World Championship was only defended once—at WrestleMania XXIV. Other WWE championships are also contested for, while gimmick matches and personal feud matches also take place on the match card.
Since 1993, the winner of the annual Royal Rumble match has been able to receive a guaranteed WWE Championship match at the same year's WrestleMania. With the introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship in 2002, the winner is also given the option to choose between the world title or the WWE championship. The creation of the ECW brand in June 2006 gave the Rumble winner a third option: to choose to challenge for the ECW World Championship. This option was made available from 2007 until the brand was retired in 2010.
WrestleMania 21 saw the introduction of the Money in the Bank ladder match. This match features six to ten participants and took place at six WrestleManias between 2005 and 2010 before becoming the headline match of its own pay-per-view event, Money in the Bank which incorporated the use of two Money in the Bank ladder matches for both respective WWE brands, SmackDown and Raw. The participant who retrieves the briefcase suspended above the ring wins a contract, which guarantees a world title match at the time and place of the winner's choosing for up to one year, including the following year's WrestleMania.
History
1980s
Mr. T and Hulk Hogan at the first WrestleMania event.
The World Wrestling Federation staged the first WrestleMania 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 promotion in the United States, rising above competitors such as the National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association. In attendance were business celebrity Sy Sperling and broadcasting executive Tony D'Angelo. 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. They each featured multiple matches that led up to the main event; this saw WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeat the challenger King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match.
A world indoor attendance-record 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 WWF 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.The event featured Hulk Hogan defending the WWF Championship against André the Giant and the WWF Intercontinental Championship match between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat.
WrestleMania IV was an all tournament event to crown a new WWF Champion. The second round of the tournament featured a rematch of the previous year's main event between Hulk Hogan and André the Giant while Randy Savage went on to defeat Ted DiBiase in the finals. The event returned the following year to Atlantic City, New Jersey for WrestleMania V, in which Hulk Hogan defeated Randy Savage for the WWF Championship Savage had won the previous year.
1990s
The first time WrestleMania took place outside of the United States was WrestleMania VI, which was held at the SkyDome, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the main event match, The Ultimate Warrior won the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan. The following year, the event returned to the United States for WrestleMania VII, which was originally scheduled to be held at the outdoors Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The event was moved to the adjacent indoors Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena for security reasons related 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.[10] The next edition, WrestleMania VIII, was held in the Hoosier Dome with Macho Man Randy Savage defeating Ric Flair for the WWF Championship and Hulk Hogan defeating Sid Justice via disqualification.
The Undertaker has been undefeated at WrestleMania with a 20–0 winning streak
Shawn Michaels returned from retirement in the 2000s to consistently produce Match-of-the-Year candidates at the event – earning himself the moniker ‘Mr. WrestleMania’
WrestleMania IX was the first WrestleMania held at an outdoor venue. It was also the first and only time in Wrestlemania history that the WWF title switched twice. Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart to become the WWF Champion, only to lose it to Hulk Hogan. The tenth edition of the event, WrestleMania X saw its return to Madison Square Garden. The event featured Owen Hart defeating his elder brother Bret; a ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship also headlined, in which Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels. Bret having been defeated earlier won the WWF title from Yokozuna in the main event. Bret is the only wrestler in Wrestlemania history to lose his first match and come back to win the WWF title in the main event. 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. The event also saw the return of the Ultimate Warrior who defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (later known as Triple H) in the latter's WrestleMania debut.. The following year at WrestleMania 13, a submission match pitted Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin against one another in a bout that received much acclaim and The Undertaker defeated Psycho Sid for the WWF Championship in the main event.
At WrestleMania XIV, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to become the new WWF Champion in a match that featured Mike Tyson serving 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 Undertaker and Kane fought for first time at this event where The Undertaker won. The event became known for starting "The Attitude Era." The following year at WrestleMania XV, Austin defeated The Rock to regain the WWF Championship. The event featured the first of many encounters at WrestleMania between Steve Austin and The Rock in the rivalry of the two most prominent and popular stars of 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 successfully defending his title in a fatal four way match against three challengers: The Rock, The Big Show and Mick Foley. This match was billed as having 'a McMahon in every corner' as Triple H was accompanied by Stephanie McMahon, The Rock by Vince McMahon, The Big Show by Shane McMahon and Mick Foley by Linda McMahon.
At WrestleMania X-Seven, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock and regained the WWF Championship. The event also featured Vince and 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. Steve Austin, The Rock and The Undertaker defeated Scott Hall with Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair respectively, all whom had rejoined the company after their stints with WCW. WrestleMania XIX saw Steve Austin's last match to date as he faced The Rock for a third time at WrestleMania, ending their long-running feud. Hulk Hogan defeated Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels participated in his first WrestleMania match in five years, defeating Chris Jericho. The World Heavyweight Championship was defended for the first time at the event with Triple H retaining against Booker T, while Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle to win the WWE Championship.
World Wrestling Entertainment celebrated the twentieth edition of WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden with WrestleMania XX. The event featured The Undertaker (who returned to his Deadman persona) defeating then-unmasked Kane in their second encounter and the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship victories of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, respectively. The event also featured The Rock and Sock Connection versus Batista, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair of Evolution where this 2-on-3 handicap match saw The Rock's last match for over seven years, as well as Steve Austin as the guest referee in an interpromotional singles match between the departing superstars Brock Lesnar (who would return to the company eight years later) and Bill Goldberg. The WWE Hall of Fame was reintroduced with an annual induction show held the night before WrestleMania.
An attendance record setting 74,635 fans at the Citrus Bowl for WrestleMania XXIV
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 by defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Triple H in their respective matches. The event also featured the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin after a year long hiatus, while Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels in a highly 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. At WrestleMania 23, the Money in the Bank match expanded to include eight men and would include stars from the revived ECW brand. 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 respectively. Representing Donald Trump, ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley defeated Umaga, who represented Vince McMahon, in a match billed as the "battle of the billionaires" and arbitrated by Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 23.
At WrestleMania XXIV, Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in a highly acclaimed match, while the Money in the Bank ladder match included seven participants from all three brands. The ECW Championship was defended for the only time at a WrestleMania event, when 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, defeating Edge. In an encounter that featured major media coverage, boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. defeated The Big Show. The event was the second WrestleMania to be held at an outdoor venue. WrestleMania XXV featured Chris Jericho defeating WWE Hall of Famers Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and Ricky Steamboat in a match that featured appearances by Ric Flair and actor Mickey Rourke. Shawn Michaels unsuccessfully attempted to hand The Undertaker his first defeat at a WrestleMania in an acclaimed match, and the WWE Intercontinental Championship was defended at the event for the first time since WrestleMania X8 with Rey Mysterio defeating John "Bradshaw" Layfield. John Cena defeated Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship also involving The Big Show, while Triple H retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton.
2010s
An attendance record setting 78,363 fans at Sun Life Stadium for WrestleMania XXVIII
At WrestleMania XXVI, the professional wrestling career of Shawn Michaels came to an end as he faced The Undertaker in a highly acclaimed re-match of their encounter from the previous year. The event also featured John Cena winning the WWE Championship and Chris Jericho retaining the World Heavyweight Championship. Following Bret Hart's return to WWE in over twelve years since the Montreal Screwjob incident, Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon in a No-Holds Barred match with members of the Hart wrestling family present.
WrestleMania XXVII featured the return of The Rock following a seven year hiatus to serve as host for the event. Trish Stratus competed in her first WrestleMania since the twenty-second edition, teaming with John Morrison and Jersey Shore's Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi to defeat LayCool and Dolph Ziggler. Longtime WWE announcers Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler brawled in a match officiated by Stone Cold Steve Austin, while Triple H failed in his attempt to avenge Shawn Michaels' loss to The Undertaker from a year prior. This was the first WrestleMania in history in which both the World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Champion were able to successfully retain their titles. World Heavyweight Champion Edge defeated the challenger Alberto Del Rio in what would be Edge's last match before his retirement on April 11, and The Rock closed out the event saluting the fans after laying out John Cena and The Miz following Miz retaining the WWE Championship. This incident would set up the main event for the following year's WrestleMania.
WrestleMania XXVIII had 4 main event matches. The first main event match was for the World Heavyweight Championship, where Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan for the title in 18 seconds. In the second main event, The Undertaker defeated Triple H in a Hell in the Cell match via pinfall, officiated by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, extending his Wrestlemania streak to 20–0. The third main event featured CM Punk retaining the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho, via submission. And in the final main event of the evening, The Rock defeated John Cena via pinfall, in a "Once in a Lifetime" match.
Dates, venues, and main events
Event Date City Venue Main Event(s)
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 Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper in a Boxing match
Battle Royal featuring superstars and athletes from the WWF and NFL
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania III March 29, 1987 Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac Silverdome Hulk Hogan (c) vs. André The Giant for the WWF Championship[20]
WrestleMania IV March 27, 1988 Atlantic City, New Jersey Trump Plaza Hulk Hogan vs. André The Giant[Note 2]
Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase in a tournament final for the vacant WWF Championship
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. The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF and Intercontinental Championships
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 Ric Flair (c) vs. Randy Savage for the WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan vs. Sycho Sid
WrestleMania IX April 4, 1993 Las Vegas, Nevada Caesars Palace Bret Hart (c) vs. Yokozuna for the WWF Championship
Yokozuna (c) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania X March 20, 1994 New York, New York Madison Square Garden Yokozuna (c) vs. Lex Luger for the WWF Championship
Yokozuna (c) vs. Bret Hart for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania XI April 2, 1995 Hartford, Connecticut Hartford Civic Center Diesel (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship
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 No disqualification match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania XIV March 29, 1998 Boston, Massachusetts FleetCenter Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Steve Austin for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania XV March 28, 1999 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania First Union Center The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin in a No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania 2000 April 2, 2000 Anaheim, California Arrowhead Pond Triple H (c) vs. The Rock vs. Big Show vs. Mick Foley in a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania X-Seven April 1, 2001 Houston, Texas Astrodome The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin in a No Disqualification match for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania X8 March 17, 2002 Toronto, Ontario SkyDome The Rock vs Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Triple H for the Undisputed Championship
WrestleMania XIX March 30, 2003 Seattle, Washington Safeco Field Triple H (c) vs. Booker T for the World Heavyweight Championship
Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon in a Street Fight Match
The Rock vs. Steve Austin
Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XX March 14, 2004 New York, New York Madison Square Garden Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg
Kane vs. Undertaker
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship
WrestleMania 21 April 3, 2005 Los Angeles, California Staples Center John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship
WrestleMania 22 April 2, 2006 Rosemont, Illinois Allstate Arena Kurt Angle (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania 23 April 1, 2007 Detroit, Michigan Ford Field Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bobby Lashley (for Donald Trump) vs. Umaga (for Vince McMahon) in a Hair vs. Hair Match
John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XXIV March 30, 2008 Orlando, Florida Citrus Bowl Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Kane for the ECW Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Big Show in a No Disqualification Match
Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship
WrestleMania XXV April 5, 2009 Houston, Texas Reliant Stadium The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels
Edge (c) vs. John Cena vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XXVI March 28, 2010 Glendale, Arizona University of Phoenix Stadium[1] Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart in a No Holds Barred Match
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship
Batista (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in a Streak vs Career Match
WrestleMania XXVII April 3, 2011 Atlanta, Georgia Georgia Dome Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship
The Undertaker vs. Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XXVIII April 1, 2012 Miami Gardens, Florida Sun Life Stadium Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship
The Undertaker vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match
CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship
The Rock vs. John Cena
WrestleMania XXIX April 7, 2013 East Rutherford, New Jersey MetLife Stadium
WrestleMania XXX March 30, 2014 TBA TBA