Shortly after defeating Dwayne The Rock Johnson at WWE WrestleMania, John Cena had his WWE Title customized with his own unique plates, replacing Rock’s “Brahma Bull.”
Maria Menounos Addresses The Negative Reaction She Got At The WWE HOF Ceremony
Television personality Maria Menounos issued the following open letter regarding the negative crowd reaction she got while introducing Bob Backlund at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, as well as her full speech:
Dear fellow WWE fans and members of the wrestling press,
As you know, I had the honor of inducting my friend, Bob Backlund, into the WWE Hall of Fame. The fans were a little rough as another inductee and friend, Donald Trump, would likewise experience. It’s understandable as we are not pro wrestlers and the honesty of the WWE fans is what makes it fun. However, I did the speech mainly to tell the world all the amazing things about Bob and I fear some of those things were not heard.
Below is my speech. I’m hoping you’ll print it for a good friend, a great champion and one of the most incredible human beings I know.
Thanks and God Bless,
Maria Menounos
—
To induct anyone into the WWE Hall of Fame puts you in the company of the greatest artists, athletes and performers in the entire world. I CHALLENGE ANYONE who disagrees to show me another kind of entertainer who can recite monologues, in character, without the use of teleprompters and before world audiences, performing improv drama and comedy while flying through the air and taking bumps, 300 nights a year.
But for me tonight is even more special for I am not just inducting anyone into the WWE Hall of Fame. I’m inducting someone who encapsulates the word champion. Someone whom I’m a great fan of…Someone whom is my friend.
Growing up Greek and not speaking English, wrestling was one of the few things on TV I’d watch and be able to understand. I was five when Bob Backlund lost his title to the Sheik. I was fourteen when “Mr. Backlund” returned. I was eighteen when I met Bob in person and I remember being in awe. It was on the set of my first movie and Bob was literally the most positive and striking force I have ever encountered. He was funny when we needed laughter – the man has an incredible and underrated sense of comedic timing – strong when we needed support and sensitive when we needed a friend.
While Working on Bob’s congressional campaign, a story came up about the Iron Shiek and his Persian Clubs. the Iron Shiek apparently had an exercise where he would swing these heavy wooden “Persian Clubs”behind his back. He had toured the nation’s gyms with the clubs and, apparently, no other strong man in the country could perform the exercise, nor could anyone on the WWF roster – except Bob, who did it….on his FIRST TRY. When I asked Bob how, he told me ‘when you believe you can do something…you can.’ The very next day, bob said he was going to perform an exercise of his own-the harvard step test in front of city hall on his election day. Twenty years earlier bob set a personal record doing the step test for two straight hours. The goal was to match that. we all thought he was crazy as he was well into his 50’s by that time. Bob was not able to match that record. He made a new one. It wasn’t 3 hours. It wasn’t four hours. He did his harvard step test for 8 hours straight!!! Once again reminding us all, if you believe you can do something, you can.
Speaking of Hollywood, one of the first days I was hosting the Today Show, John Cena and Vince McMahon happened to be guests. Of course, I’m huge fans of theirs, too, but I couldn’t help but threaten John that Bob would one day come back to put him in the chicken wing! They both had great things to say about Bob but I’m sure they thought I was a little nuts, as people have thought Bob was a little nuts. But along with everything else Bob taught me, its okay to be a little nuts.
I’m sure people thought Bob was more than a little nuts, when after an unprecedented 5 year run with the title, he refused to turn heel. He
believed it would let down his fans which included many troubled youth who had looked up to him and in those days, it would have. In so doing he surrendered millions of dollars from the new age of rock and wrestling as well as the career he loved most.
Not only did Bob Backlund hold the title for almost 6 consecutive years – he did something perhaps even greater when he came back a
decade later. He completely reinvented himself and his character. When you think of performers who’ve been able to successfully reinvent
their characters , even in Hollywood, few names come to mind. Bob not only created an entire new persona he also went on to become wrestling’s number one heel and regained his title in one of the most successful comebacks in sports entertainment history.
But most people know that. Like the greatest champions Bob Backlund carries himself with humility – which is why many of the facts I’m about to reveal are not known.
In a Pennsylvania match against Hulk Hogan, whom he pinned on several occasions, Bob Backlund picked Hulk up over his head with one arm.
It’s a feat Hulk, and his own late father, often reflected on in astonishment.
Bob Backlund has only been to the doctor twice since 1973
Bob Backlund has never done a drug. As he says and I quote “I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”
Bob Backlund, within a three month span, won the NCAA wrestling championship and the National college football championship. He is
perhaps the only man in history to hold that distinction.
In that championship football game, Bob Backlund recorded 22 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. To give perspective, a team averages about 65 plays in an entire game.
Bob Backlund was a top shoot fighter if not THE top shoot fighter in the world of professional wrestling.
Bob Backlund intentionally NEVER squashed his opponents as he believed it would harm their future earnings.
Bob Backlund is in better condition than 99% of men…a third his age.
Bob Backlund has a diverse portfolio of stocks and real estate and has NEVER IN HIS LIFE PAID A DIME OF INTEREST!
Bob Backlund has a beautiful wife and daughter
And at the end of the day, Bob Backlund justs want to help others in need
Bob Backlund is simply one of, if not, THE greatest personal success stories for wrestlers, fans and people in general.
I know it wasn’t always easy in your career, Bob. But, in the face of shortcomings and disappointments, you never gave up or succumbed like so many of us understandably would. Instead, you continued working out, educating yourself and, always, helping others and donating your time to charity. Through it all you kept your faith and your resolve and here you are on the greatest stage being honored by your greatest peers. I’m excited for tonight, your book being published and all the amazing things you remain to accomplish in your journey. And, I believe there’s one more WWE run in that journey for you Bob, because ‘When u believe you can do something, you can.’
Some know you as Bob Backlund. Others as Mr. Backlund. I just know you as my champion, my hero and my friend. Thank you to the WWE Universe for allowing me to welcome to the stage, Mr. Bob Backlund!
CM Punk Banged Up At WrestleMania, Time Constraint Issues, Talent Upset & More
– CM Punk banged up his knee last night during the spot where he dove off the top rope onto the Undertaker, who was laying on the announcers table. People backstage were amazed that Punk didn’t slow down his pace because he was in a lot of pain backstage afterwards. Punk is rumored to be taking some much-deserved time off in the coming weeks.
– Several of WWE’s mid-card talents were not in great spirits on WrestleMania because they were not booked on the show.
– WWE’s decision to eliminate the 8-person mixed tag team match from the WrestleMania card was made before the show went on the air.
– A few minutes were cut from the Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger match at WrestleMania due to time constraints.
– The reason there were no fireworks to open WrestleMania 29 was due to the sun still being out. Additionally, there was some concern that the fireworks would overshadow the Hurricane Sandy video with Governor Chris Christie.
* News On JOHN CENA’s Next Feud & Several Top Superstars Taking Time Off
(Source: PWInsider.com)
Mark Henry Not Done With Ryback, WM29 Winners Speak To WWE.com
WWE.com spoke to many of the Superstars who competed at Sunday’s WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view shortly after their matches. Here are some highlights of what they said:
– World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio said his match against Jack Swagger was the hardest match of his career. Zeb Colter said he and Jack Swagger are not finished with Del Rio. Del Rio and Swagger are rumored to be facing each other again at Extreme Rules in a submission match.
– Following his impressive win over Ryback. Mark Henry says he has a lot more respect for him after taking the Shellshocked. That said – “somebody’s going to get their ass kicked” and he has more to feed Ryback.
– Fandango did not have much to say after his WWE debut win over Chris Jericho, but wrote “10? on a piece of paper and said that’s how he’s feeling right now.
– New Intercontinental Champion The Miz was greeted by members of the New Jersey National Guard after returning backstage and dedicated his win to his awesome “Mizfits.”
– The Shield posted a handheld video after their win over Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show, saying that justice was served.
The Rock Makes His First Comments Since Losing The WWE Title
Former WWE champion The Rock has made his first public comments since losing a high-profile match to John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.
The comment was a response to a tweet sent by UFC President Dana White before WrestleMania. White tweeted Sunday night:
“Hey @TheRock good luck 2 nite at Wrestlemania! Kick some ass bro!!!”
Rock replied Monday morning at 6:00 AM:
“Appreciate that brother! A helluva show. My tequila bottle awaits when I get home. Can’t wait for #UFC159. #Bones.”
The Rock is scheduled to appear at tonight’s WWE RAW from East Rutherford before heading overseas to begin filming the movie “Hercules.”
Cena Does Monday Morning Media, Production Issues At WrestleMania
– The WWE Hall of Famers who were at WrestleMania watched the show from a VIP suite.
– WWE had some production issues over WrestleMania weekend:
- At the Hall of Fame ceremony, some fans who arrived at Madison Square Garden were told their seats were actually curtained off and were taken to different seats.
- At WrestleMania, there were some glitches with the video monitors in the arena during the pre-show, but they were resolved (for the most part) for the pay-per-view.
- As was the case last year, there were many fans whose views were obstructed by the 4 huge pillars around the ring. Fans who complained were relocated to better seats, but overall, there were far fewer complaints than WrestleMania 28, where the huge palm trees blocked a lot of people’s views.
- Fans who ordered the WrestleMania 29 stream through the WWE App had some technical difficulties at the start of the show, with WWE’s servers being unable to accommodate the demand. The problem was eventually resolved – and the stream aired the event from the beginning, so fans who watched the show via stream weren’t watching it live.
– New WWE Champion John Cena appeared “Live With Kelly & Michael”, FOX Business and CNN this morning and had the WWE Championship belt with him. Here’s a picture of Cena on CNN’s Showbiz Tonight with AJ Hammer:
Sneak peak of @JohnCena with his new WWE Championship title on @showbiztonight, part of @CNN, with host @AJHammer pic.twitter.com/CZp88kq0k9
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2013
(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)
WWE RAW Preview: Road To WrestleMania 30 Begins
Sunday’s historic WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view is in the books – and now the road to WrestleMania 30 begins. WWE RAW takes place from East Rutherford, New Jersey tonight from the IZOD Center. No matches have been announced for RAW as of Monday morning, but we’ll see:
– Fallout from Wrestlemania 29.
– John Cena’s first appearance as the new WWE champion.
The advertised dark match main event is John Cena, Randy Orton & Sheamus vs. The Shield.
Video – Trish Stratus Interviewed By Peter Rosenberg
New York City DJ Peter Rosenberg of Hot 97 has published the final installment of the “Wrestling with Rosenberg Wrestlemania Spectacular” – and exclusive interview with WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Among the topics discussed include:
– Why she picked Stephanie McMahon to induct her
– Why she isn’t wrestling anymore
– The sad state of WWE’s Divas division
– Her feud with Lita
– AJ Lee
– Gail Kim’s heat with WWE
– Sherri Martel being a role model for her
– If she will ever wrestle again
– Her fitness lifestyle company
WWE WrestleMania 29 Results
Welcome to our live results coverage of WrestleMania 29 from MetLife Stadium.
WrestleMania 29 Pre-Show Match
WWE Intercontinental Title: The Miz vs. Wade Barrett (c)
We’re finishing up the pre-show with our first match of the evening, The Miz vs. Wade Barrett for the I-C strap. The crowd popped huge when it was announced that the first match was about to begin. Miz is out first. Nice reception. Wade Barrett is out next. The bell sounds and here we go. Impressive looking crowd/set-up inside MetLife tonight. Looks very cool. Miz gets some offense early, including a nearfall or two before the larger Barrett slows him down. Barrett gets some offense in on Miz. He attempts his elbow-finisher but Miz avoids it and counters into a figure-four leglock on Barrett. Barrett struggles for a while before making it to the ropes to break the hold. Crowd was hot for that series of moves/counters. Barrett recovers and hits Miz with Wasteland for a close two-count. Miz, from his back, locks up Barrett’s legs standing and locks in the figure-four leglock again. Cool way to apply that move. Miz sinches it on tight and Barrett is forced to tap. We have a new Intercontinental Champion, folks!
Winner and NEW WWE Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
The show opens with the typical, bad-ass video package that you’d expect. A lot of history of WrestleMania stuff, highlighting a lot of the top “WrestleMania moments” from the past.
From the video package we hear Michael Cole’s voice and get our first PPV-glimpse inside MetLife Stadium. The set-up looks so cool with all of the people in the building. Very cool. Michael Cole does the obligatory introduction stuff and then we immediately go to Sheamus’ ring entrance.
Sheamus, Randy Orton & Big Show vs. The Shield
Sheamus comes out to the top of the stage and stands there for a second. Randy Orton’s music hits and he joins Sheamus at the top of the stage. Both guys stand there and Big Show’s music hits and he joins the duo at the top of the stage. All three walk together down the long aisle to the ring to Big Show’s music. The three stand in the ring after the music cuts off for a moment. The Shield’s music hits and the three come out through the crowd as usual. The crowd popped pretty big at the first sound of The Shield’s music. During these entrances, by the way, the Spanish announce team was introduced briefly as well. Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and JBL are calling the action for the U.S. PPV audience. Sheamus and Reigns start things off for their respective teams. Reigns bullies Sheamus into the corner and pounds on him a bit. Sheamus whips Reigns into the opposing corner and gets in a little offense of his own. Sheamus is getting the better of the two early on in this opening contest. Sheamus tags in Orton. Crowd pops big for Orton. Orton continues to control the offense for his team as he keeps Reigns grounded and works him over. Reigns makes the tag to Rollins. Orton immediately gets the better of Rollins. Orton tags Sheamus in. Rollins dropkicks Sheamus’ knee and tags in Dean Ambrose. Crowd pops pretty damn big for Ambrose. Sheamus hits a big powerslam on Ambrose for a nearfall. Sheamus tags in The Big Show. Crowd reacts pretty big to Show as well. Show opens Ambrose’s vest and chops the hell out of him. We get a shot of Orton and Sheamus smiling after Big Show’s big chop. Ambrose takes a chop and tries taunting Big Show like it didn’t hurt. Big Show responds by backing him into the corner and chopping the living hell out of him repeatedly. Ambrose dropkicks Big Show’s legs out and tags in Rollins. Rollins using his speed to keep Big Show grounded. The Shield makes a lot of quick tags and utilizes the gameplan of keeping Show off his feet to keep control of the offensive flow of the match. Big Show finally makes the tag to Sheamus after several minutes of punishment. Sheamus is a ball of fire as he takes out Rollins. He throws Rollins over the top. Rollins lands on the apron outside the ropes. Sheamus opens Rollins vest the same way Big Show did, and does his arm-pounding spot on Rollins. Ambrose comes over and Sheamus does the same spot with him. Orton tags in. Orton hits the DDT off the middle rope on Ambrose. Rollins tries interfering off the top but Orton sees him and catches him with the RKO on the way down. However, Reigns hits the spear on Orton. Ambrose immediately pins Orton. The Shield wins. Big Show is shown standing on the apron looking quite disappointed at Orton. The Shield leave through the crowd the same way they arrived.
Winners: The Shield
After The Match
After the match, The Big Show comes in and hits the knockout punch on both Sheamus and Orton. The crowd boo’s the crap out of him as he exits the ring and leaves the two laying.
-After a John Cena/Rock video package is shown, we see a few celebrities in the crowd including Snooki. Mark Henry’s music hits and we’re headed back to the ring.
Mark Henry vs. Ryback
Mark Henry makes his way to the ring as we see video highlights of their feud leading into tonight’s match, including the bench-press challenge from Smackdown two weeks ago. Ryback’s music hits. Ryback gets a nice pop as he makes his way to the ring. The bell rings and the two slowly walk to each other. They’re going nose-to-nose and talking trash as the hot crowd at MetLife Stadium erupts. Lots of heat from the audience for this one already. The two sumo-bump into each other. Ryback pounds his chest, as if to say “bring it on!” They bump chests again. Henry punches Ryback. Ryback punches Henry. They exchange punches with Ryback getting the better. Ryback tries a clothesline but Henry remains on his feet. Ryback hits the ropes and tries another one. Henry still stands. Ryback goes to do it again but Henry catches him coming in with a big clothesline. Ryback is floored. Henry picks Ryback up with ease and hits a running powerslam on Ryback for a one-count. Henry dominating Ryback now, slamming him and punching him as he pleases. A loud crowd chant breaks out. Sounds like “let’s go Goldberg!” but can’t quite tell. Meanwhile, Henry continues the “big man match” stuff by applying a bearhug to Ryback. Ryback tries fighting his way out but can’t. Henry bull-rushes him into the corner and splashes him. Henry with a running clothesline that knocks Ryback over the top rope and onto the floor. Henry yells out “that’s what I do!” which can be heard on the PPV broadcast. Henry stands in the ring and lets the referee begin his count on Ryback, who is recovering on the floor. Another chant is getting started up by the crowd, but the announcers are drowning it out. Ryback makes it back into the ring before he is counted out. Henry continues his beatdown of Ryback. Ryback showing signs of life as he fights back, but Henry cuts him off and applies another bearhug. Ryback tries fighting out and is again cut off by Henry. Ryback is again trying to get in some offense. He’s having better luck this time, knocking Henry to one knee. “Feed more more” chant breaks out from the crowd. Ryback hits the Meathook Clothesline to knock Henry off his feet for the first time in the match. Ryback calls for the Shellshock. Ryback attempts the Shellshock. He has Henry up. Wow! Henry ends up flattening Ryback before he can finish the move. Henry rolls onto Ryback….1-2-3. Henry wins. Interesting finish. Crowd seems disappointed in that one. A replay shows Henry held onto the top rope while he was on Ryback’s shoulders, which allowed Henry to flatten Ryback. Not illegal, so Henry wins clean.
Winner: Mark Henry
The referee calls for medics to check on Ryback. Henry comes back in the ring and tells the ref to “let him suffer.” Ryback pops back up and knocks Henry down. Ryback plays to the crowd but the crowd craps on him. Ryback hoists Henry up and hits the Shellshock on him for real this time. Crowd reacted kind of flat, as they wanted that as the finish of the match, not a post-match spot from the loser. Either way, it looked cool and we saw a bunch of replays of it afterwards.
-Some of the members of the Special Olympics are shown in the arena, along with Stephanie McMahon and Govenor Chris Christi. Dolph Ziggler’s music hits and we’re headed back to the ring.
WWE Tag-Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler & Big E. Langston vs. Kane & Daniel Bryan (c)
Ziggler and Langston are out first with A.J. As they walk to the ring, highlights are shown from Monday’s Raw of Langston and Ziggler leaving Bryan and Kane laying. Langston and Ziggler are in the ring now. The fire pyro explodes and Kane’s music hits. Loud pop from the crowd. Kane and Daniel Bryan come out together. Bryan is doing the “No, No!” stuff as he walks to the ring, but it seems out of place with the entire arena lit up with red lights and Kane’s music playing. Weird choice by WWE there. Kane and Bryan enter the ring now and we’re about to be underway. A kiss by AJ almost cost Ziggler’s team the match right off the bat as Bryan had a close nearfall on Ziggler. The crowd thought that might’ve been the finish. Bryan hitting his “no-kicks” on Ziggler as the crowd chants “Yes!” for each kick. Crowd very hot for Bryan in this one. Ziggler makes the tag to Langston and there’s almost a gasp amongst everyone at MetLife. Bryan tags Kane in before he does anything. Kane and Langston exchange punches with Kane getting the better. Kane hits the ropes but is caught by Langston. Langston is rag-dolling Kane like a child, hitting him with repeated backbreakers. Langston showing off his power by dominating the large Big Red Machine. Kane slaps the chokeslam on Langston but Langston powers out before Kane can hit the move. Langston with a big running clothesline that floors Kane. Langston tags Ziggler back in. Ziggler goes straight to work on Kane. He gets in a few moves and tags Langston right back in. Langston continues the beatdown of Kane. Later on in the match, Ziggler and Kane are the legal men. Ziggler calls for the Money In The Bank briefcase from AJ. AJ gives it to him but Kane avoids getting hit with it. He hits Ziggler with a chokeslam. Kane knocks Langston off the apron as Bryan comes off the top rope with a flying headbutt. 1-2-3. Team Hell No retains. This time Daniel Bryan’s music plays and the crowd does loud “Yes!” chants as Kane and Bryan celebrate their victory in the ring.
Winners and STILL WWE Tag-Team Champions: Kane & Daniel Bryan
Sound Off 268: WM29 Roundtable, Axxess, Iron Sheik Roast
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 268)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!
Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 51 minutes
Solomonster is back with his annual WRESTLEMANIA ROUNDTABLE episode! Joining him this week are Noah Mark and Bryan Blade, on location in New York, recapping their experiences at WWE Axxess, including Ryback shooting hard on Bill Goldberg and an impromptu conversation with WWE physician Dr. Michael Sampson, the man who saved Jerry Lawler’s life! They also attended The Roast of the Iron Sheik and have some interesting tales to tell, and then it’s time for WrestleMania 29 predictions! All of that, plus the trio sings happy birthday to a lucky listener. What more can you ask for?
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Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
WrestleMania Retrospective – The History
The History of WrestleMania
It’s the greatest spectacle in Sports Entertainment. Since 1985 this springtime tradition has created legends, and many unforgettable moments. Join Sescoops.com as we look at the last 28 WrestleMania’s leading up to WrestleMania 29 on April 7th, 2013.
[tabs tab1=”I” tab2=”II” tab3=”III” tab4=”VI” tab5=”V” tab6=”VI” tab7=”VII” tab8=”VIII” tab9=”IX” tab10=”X” tab11=”XI” tab12=”XII” tab13=”13″ tab14=”XIV” tab15=”XV” tab16=”2000″ tab17=”X-SEVEN” tab18=”X8″ tab19=”XIX” tab20=”XX” tab21=”21″ tab22=”22″ tab23=”23″ tab24=”XXIV” tab25=”25″ tab26=”XXVI” tab27=”XXVII” tab28=”XXVIII”]
[tab id=1] WrestleMania (1985)
Date: March 31, 1985
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Attendance: 19,121
More WrestleMania Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=2]WrestleMania II (1986)
Date: April 7, 1986
Venues: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Rosemont Horizon, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Attendance: 40,085 (Combined)
America The Beautiful: Ray Charles ( in Uniondale, NY)
More WrestleMania II Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=3] WrestleMania III (1987)
Tagline: Bigger! Better! Badder!
Date: March 29, 1987
Venue: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Attendance: 93,173
America The Beautiful: Aretha Franklin
More WrestleMania III Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=4]
WrestleMania IV (1988)
Tagline: What The World Is Watching!
Date: March 27, 1988
Venue: Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ
Attendance: 18,165
America The Beautiful: Gladys Knight
More WrestleMania IV Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=5] WrestleMania V (1989)
Tagline: The Mega Powers Explode!
Date: March 27, 1988
Venue: Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ
Attendance: 18,946
America The Beautiful: WWF Women’s Champion Rockin’ Robin
More WrestleMania V Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=6]
WrestleMania VI (1990)
Tagline: The Ultimate Challange
Date: April 1, 1990
Venue: SkyDome Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 67,678
O Canada: Robert Goulet
More WrestleMania VI Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=7] WrestleMania VII (1991)
Tagline: Super Stars And Stripes Forever!
Date: March, 24, 1991
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles California.
Attendance: 16,158
America The Beautiful: Willie Nelson
More WrestleMania VII Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=8]WrestleMania VIII (1992)
Taglines: “The Macho/Flair Affair!” and “Friendship Torn Apart!”
Date: April 5, 1992
Venue: Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 62,167
The Star-Spangled Banner: Reba McEntire
The Undertaker’s Streak: 2-0 (Jake “The Snake Roberts”)
More WrestleMania VIII Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=9]
WrestleMania IX (1993)
Tagline: “World’s Largest Toga Party”
Date: April 4, 1993
Venue: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 16,891
The Undertaker’s Streak: 3-0 (Giant Gonzalez)
More WrestleMania IX Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=10]
WrestleMania X (1994)
Tagline: “Ten Years In The Making”
Date: March 20, 1994
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Attendance: 18,065
The Undertaker’s Streak: 3-0 (Did not Compete)
More WrestleMania X Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=11]
WrestleMania XI (1995)
Tagline: None
Date: April 2, 1995
Venue: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Attendance: 16,305
America The Beautiful: Special Olympian, Kathy Huey
The Undertaker’s Streak: 4-0 (Def King Kong Bundy)
More WrestleMania XI Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=12]
WrestleMania XII (1995)
Tagline: None
Sponsor: Tyco R/C: Maximum Heat!
Date: March 31, 1996
Venue: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
Attendance: 18,853
America The Beautiful: Special Olympian, Kathy Huey
The Undertaker’s Streak: 5-0 (Def Disel)
More WrestleMania XII Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=13]
WrestleMania 13 (1997)
Tagline: Heat
Sponsor: Playstation
Date: March 23, 1997
Venue: Rosemont Horizon Rosemont, Illinois.
Attendance: 18,197
The Undertaker’s Streak: 6-0 (Def Psycho Sid)
More WrestleMania 13 Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=14]
WrestleMania XIV (1998)
Tagline: The Greatest PPV Attraction of all time!
Sponsor: M&Ms
Date: March 29, 1998
Venue: Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 19,028
America the Beautiful/The Star-Spangled Banner: Performed by Chris Warren and The DX Band (Off air)
The Undertaker’s Streak: 7-0 (Def Kane )
More WrestleMania XIV Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=15]
WrestleMania XV (1999)
Tagline: The Ragin’ Climax
Sponsor: M&Ms Crispy
Date: March 28, 1999
Venue: First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 20,276
America the Beautiful: Boyz II Men
The Undertaker’s Streak: 8-0 (Def The Big Boss Man)
More WrestleMania XV Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=16]
WrestleMania 2000 (2000)
Tagline: First Ever Fatal Four Way
Sponsor: M&Ms Crispy
Date: April 2, 2000
Venue: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
Attendance: 18,034
The Star-Spangled Banner: Lilian Garcia
The Undertaker’s Streak: 8-0 (Did not compete)
More WrestleMania 2000 Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=17]
WrestleMania X-Seven (2001)
Tagline: Houston, We Have A Problem.
Sponsor: Snickers
Date: April 1, 2001
Venue: Reliant Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
The Undertaker’s Streak: 9-0 (Def. Triple H)
More WrestleMania X-Seven Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=18]
WrestleMania X-8 (2002)
Tagline: The One And Only
Sponsor: Skittles
Date: March 17, 2002
Venue: SkyDome Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 68,237
The Undertaker’s Streak: 10-0 (Def. Ric Flair)
More WrestleMania XIX Info, Photos & Results
[/tab]
[tab id=19]
WrestleMania X-8 (2003)
Tagline: Dare To Dream
Sponsor: Snickers Cruncher
Date: March 30, 2003
Venue: Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 54,097
The Undertaker’s Streak: 11-0 (Def. Big Show & A-Train)
More WrestleMania XIX Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=20] WrestleMania XX (2004)
Tagline: Where it all begins again..
Date: March 14, 2004
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
America the Beautiful: Boys Choir of Harlem
Attendance: 18,000
The Undertaker’s Streak: 12-0 (Def. Kane)
More WrestleMania XX Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=21]
Tagline: [WrestleMania] goes Hollywood.
Sponsor: Snickers
Date: April 3, 2005
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
America the Beautiful: Lillian Garcia
Attendance: 20,193
The Undertaker’s Streak: 13-0 (Def. Randy Orton)
More WrestleMania 21 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=22]
WrestleMania 22 (2006)
Tagline: Big Time
Sponsor: Snickers
Date: April 2, 2006
Venue: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
America the Beautiful: Michelle Williams
Attendance: 17,159
The Undertaker’s Streak: 14-0 (Def. Mark Henry)
More WrestleMania 22 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=23]
WrestleMania 23 (2007)
Tagline: All Grown Up
Sponsor: 360 OTC
Date: April 1, 2007
Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
America the Beautiful: Aretha Franklin
Attendance: 80,103
The Undertaker’s Streak: 15-0 (Def. Batista)
More WrestleMania 23 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=24]
WrestleMania 24 (2008)
Tagline: “The Biggest WrestleMania Under the Sun”
Date: March 30, 2008
Venue: Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
America the Beautiful: John Legend
Attendance: 74,635
The Undertaker’s Streak: 16-0 (Def. Edge for the WHC)
More WrestleMania XXIV Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=25]
WrestleMania 25 (2009)
Tagline: “The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania”
Date: April 5, 2009
Venue: Reliant Stadium, Houston TX
America the Beautiful: Nicole Scherzinger
Attendance: 72,744
The Undertaker’s Streak: 17-0 (Def. HBK)
More WrestleMania 25 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=26]
WrestleMania 26 (2010)
Tagline: “Get All Fired Up”
Date: March 28, 2010
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
America the Beautiful: Fantasia Barrino
Attendance: 72,219
The Undertaker’s Streak: 18-0 (Def. HBK)
More WrestleMania XXVI Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=27]
WrestleMania 27 (2011)
Tagline: “The Biggest WrestleMania Ever”
Date: April 3, 2011
Venue: Georgia Dome, Atlanta Georgia
America the Beautiful: Keri Hilson
Attendance: 71,617
The Undertaker’s Streak: 19-0 (Def. Triple H)
More WrestleMania XXVIII Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=28]
WrestleMania 28 (2012)
Tagline: “Once in a Lifetime”
Date: April 1, 2012
Venue: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
America the Beautiful: Lillian Garica
Attendance: 78,363
The Undertaker’s Streak: 20-0 (Def. Triple H)
More WrestleMania XXVIII Info, Photos & Results
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WrestleMania – The History
The History of WrestleMania
It’s the greatest spectacle in Sports Entertainment. Since 1985 this springtime tradition has created legends, and many unforgettable moments. Join Sescoops.com as we look at the last 28 WrestleMania’s leading up to WrestleMania 29 on April 7th, 2013.
[tabs tab1=”I” tab2=”II” tab3=”III” tab4=”VI” tab5=”V” tab6=”VI” tab7=”VII” tab8=”VIII” tab9=”IX” tab10=”X” tab11=”XI” tab12=”XII” tab13=”13″ tab14=”XIV” tab15=”XV” tab16=”2000″ tab17=”X-SEVEN” tab18=”X8″ tab19=”XIX” tab20=”XX” tab21=”21″ tab22=”22″ tab23=”23″ tab24=”XXIV” tab25=”25″ tab26=”XXVI” tab27=”XXVII” tab28=”XXVIII”]
[tab id=1] WrestleMania (1985)
Date: March 31, 1985
Venue: Madison Square Garden
Attendance: 19,121
More WrestleMania Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=2]WrestleMania II (1986)
Date: April 7, 1986
Venues: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Rosemont Horizon, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Attendance: 40,085 (Combined)
America The Beautiful: Ray Charles ( in Uniondale, NY)
More WrestleMania II Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=3] WrestleMania III (1987)
Tagline: Bigger! Better! Badder!
Date: March 29, 1987
Venue: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Attendance: 93,173
America The Beautiful: Aretha Franklin
More WrestleMania III Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=4]
WrestleMania IV (1988)
Tagline: What The World Is Watching!
Date: March 27, 1988
Venue: Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ
Attendance: 18,165
America The Beautiful: Gladys Knight
More WrestleMania IV Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=5] WrestleMania V (1989)
Tagline: The Mega Powers Explode!
Date: March 27, 1988
Venue: Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, NJ
Attendance: 18,946
America The Beautiful: WWF Women’s Champion Rockin’ Robin
More WrestleMania V Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=6]
WrestleMania VI (1990)
Tagline: The Ultimate Challange
Date: April 1, 1990
Venue: SkyDome Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 67,678
O Canada: Robert Goulet
More WrestleMania VI Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=7] WrestleMania VII (1991)
Tagline: Super Stars And Stripes Forever!
Date: March, 24, 1991
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles California.
Attendance: 16,158
America The Beautiful: Willie Nelson
More WrestleMania VII Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=8]WrestleMania VIII (1992)
Taglines: “The Macho/Flair Affair!” and “Friendship Torn Apart!”
Date: April 5, 1992
Venue: Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 62,167
The Star-Spangled Banner: Reba McEntire
The Undertaker’s Streak: 2-0 (Jake “The Snake Roberts”)
More WrestleMania VIII Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=9]
WrestleMania IX (1993)
Tagline: “World’s Largest Toga Party”
Date: April 4, 1993
Venue: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 16,891
The Undertaker’s Streak: 3-0 (Giant Gonzalez)
More WrestleMania IX Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=10]
WrestleMania X (1994)
Tagline: “Ten Years In The Making”
Date: March 20, 1994
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Attendance: 18,065
The Undertaker’s Streak: 3-0 (Did not Compete)
More WrestleMania X Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=11]
WrestleMania XI (1995)
Tagline: None
Date: April 2, 1995
Venue: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Attendance: 16,305
America The Beautiful: Special Olympian, Kathy Huey
The Undertaker’s Streak: 4-0 (Def King Kong Bundy)
More WrestleMania XI Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=12]
WrestleMania XII (1995)
Tagline: None
Sponsor: Tyco R/C: Maximum Heat!
Date: March 31, 1996
Venue: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
Attendance: 18,853
America The Beautiful: Special Olympian, Kathy Huey
The Undertaker’s Streak: 5-0 (Def Disel)
More WrestleMania XII Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=13]
WrestleMania 13 (1997)
Tagline: Heat
Sponsor: Playstation
Date: March 23, 1997
Venue: Rosemont Horizon Rosemont, Illinois.
Attendance: 18,197
The Undertaker’s Streak: 6-0 (Def Psycho Sid)
More WrestleMania 13 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=14]
WrestleMania XIV (1998)
Tagline: The Greatest PPV Attraction of all time!
Sponsor: M&Ms
Date: March 29, 1998
Venue: Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 19,028
America the Beautiful/The Star-Spangled Banner: Performed by Chris Warren and The DX Band (Off air)
The Undertaker’s Streak: 7-0 (Def Kane )
More WrestleMania XIV Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=15]
WrestleMania XV (1999)
Tagline: The Ragin’ Climax
Sponsor: M&Ms Crispy
Date: March 28, 1999
Venue: First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 20,276
America the Beautiful: Boyz II Men
The Undertaker’s Streak: 8-0 (Def The Big Boss Man)
More WrestleMania XV Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=16]
WrestleMania 2000 (2000)
Tagline: First Ever Fatal Four Way
Sponsor: M&Ms Crispy
Date: April 2, 2000
Venue: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
Attendance: 18,034
The Star-Spangled Banner: Lilian Garcia
The Undertaker’s Streak: 8-0 (Did not compete)
More WrestleMania 2000 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=17]
WrestleMania X-Seven (2001)
Tagline: Houston, We Have A Problem.
Sponsor: Snickers
Date: April 1, 2001
Venue: Reliant Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
The Undertaker’s Streak: 9-0 (Def. Triple H)
More WrestleMania X-Seven Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=18]
WrestleMania X-8 (2002)
Tagline: The One And Only
Sponsor: Skittles
Date: March 17, 2002
Venue: SkyDome Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 68,237
The Undertaker’s Streak: 10-0 (Def. Ric Flair)
More WrestleMania XIX Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=19]
WrestleMania X-8 (2003)
Tagline: Dare To Dream
Sponsor: Snickers Cruncher
Date: March 30, 2003
Venue: Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 54,097
The Undertaker’s Streak: 11-0 (Def. Big Show & A-Train)
More WrestleMania XIX Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=20] WrestleMania XX (2004)
Tagline: Where it all begins again..
Date: March 14, 2004
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
America the Beautiful: Boys Choir of Harlem
Attendance: 18,000
The Undertaker’s Streak: 12-0 (Def. Kane)
More WrestleMania XX Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=21]
Tagline: [WrestleMania] goes Hollywood.
Sponsor: Snickers
Date: April 3, 2005
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
America the Beautiful: Lillian Garcia
Attendance: 20,193
The Undertaker’s Streak: 13-0 (Def. Randy Orton)
More WrestleMania 21 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=22]
WrestleMania 22 (2006)
Tagline: Big Time
Sponsor: Snickers
Date: April 2, 2006
Venue: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
America the Beautiful: Michelle Williams
Attendance: 17,159
The Undertaker’s Streak: 14-0 (Def. Mark Henry)
More WrestleMania 22 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=23]
WrestleMania 23 (2007)
Tagline: All Grown Up
Sponsor: 360 OTC
Date: April 1, 2007
Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
America the Beautiful: Aretha Franklin
Attendance: 80,103
The Undertaker’s Streak: 15-0 (Def. Batista)
More WrestleMania 23 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=24]
WrestleMania 24 (2008)
Tagline: “The Biggest WrestleMania Under the Sun”
Date: March 30, 2008
Venue: Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
America the Beautiful: John Legend
Attendance: 74,635
The Undertaker’s Streak: 16-0 (Def. Edge for the WHC)
More WrestleMania XXIV Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=25]
WrestleMania 25 (2009)
Tagline: “The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania”
Date: April 5, 2009
Venue: Reliant Stadium, Houston TX
America the Beautiful: Nicole Scherzinger
Attendance: 72,744
The Undertaker’s Streak: 17-0 (Def. HBK)
More WrestleMania 25 Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=26]
WrestleMania 26 (2010)
Tagline: “Get All Fired Up”
Date: March 28, 2010
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
America the Beautiful: Fantasia Barrino
Attendance: 72,219
The Undertaker’s Streak: 18-0 (Def. HBK)
More WrestleMania XXVI Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=27]
WrestleMania 27 (2011)
Tagline: “The Biggest WrestleMania Ever”
Date: April 3, 2011
Venue: Georgia Dome, Atlanta Georgia
America the Beautiful: Keri Hilson
Attendance: 71,617
The Undertaker’s Streak: 19-0 (Def. Triple H)
More WrestleMania XXVIII Info, Photos & Results
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[tab id=28]
WrestleMania 28 (2012)
Tagline: “Once in a Lifetime”
Date: April 1, 2012
Venue: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
America the Beautiful: Lillian Garica
Attendance: 78,363
The Undertaker’s Streak: 20-0 (Def. Triple H)
More WrestleMania XXVIII Info, Photos & Results
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WrestleMania 29 Predictions From Lance Storm
Lance Storm has updated his blog at StormWrestling.com with his predictions for WrestleMania 29:
The Rock vs. John Cena: I picked Cena to win last year and paid for it, but I’m going to stick with him this year and predict he picks up the win. I just can’t see him losing 2 years in a row.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger: This is one I was a little on the fence with for quite a while, but I’ve decided to go with Del Rio retaining the title. I don’t think the Swagger thing has heated up as much as they have hoped and I feel WWE is generally reluctant to switch both titles on same show. I’m not super confident with this pick but I’m going Del Rio.
The Undertaker vs. CM Punk: I’m to the point where I doubt I will ever pick against the streak and with the heavy ending to RAW this week and the tie in with the later Paul Bearer (Bill Moody) I just can’t see Undertaker losing this one. Undertaker goes to 21-0.
Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H: This is a tougher one for me; I can see reasons for this match to go either way. Brock won the first match, Hunter’s career is on the line, HBK is out there with him, I can certainly see HHH picking up the win. That said Hunter really is more of an office guy now and everything I’m hearing says that Brock is staying around, so do you really want him going to 1-2 in WWE and having a loss against every opponent he’s faced since returning to WWE from UFC? I’m predicting Brock Lesnar beats HHH again. Here is my logic. There are 2 big rematches on this show and I think most people are predicting 50/50 booking with the guy who lost the first time getting his redemption this time. This match will no doubt be on before the Rock-Cena match so HHH losing a second time could really help the Main Event with people thinking if Brock can win 2 straight maybe Rock can too, especially with rumors that WWE might build to Rock vs. Brock next year at Mania. Triple H is pretty much retired anyway and I can’t really think of anyone out there who would be a big meaningful opponent for him moving forward, that is of course unless HBK “accidentally” costs Hunter his career and they come up with some “Unsanctioned” stipulation next year for one last final hurrah between Triple H and Shawn Michaels. I’m not saying that will happen I’m just saying Hunter coming back again next year, to face just a guy on the roster, doesn’t really make sense so he could do good business here and building Brock even stronger.
Team Hell No vs. Ziggler & Big E: I was pretty confident we were going to get a tag title switch in this match and I was fully prepared to pick Dolph and Big E in this match and then RAW came along and Team Hell No got left laying with the Heels completely dominating. This is usually a hint that they will get theirs at the PPV and Team Hell No will prevail so I’m stumped. I do expect Ziggler and Big E to end up with the Tag Team Titles but it is possible that won’t happen until sometime after WrestleMania. There is also the possibility of Ziggler losing here and cashing in the MITB briefcase on Del Rio and winning the World Title. This is a tough one. I don’t have a lot of confidence in this pick but I’m going with Team Hell No retaining the titles. I think there is a possibility in the Dolph Ziggler cash in, so I’m picking Team Hell No.
Fandango vs. Chris Jericho: WWE seems to be really high on Fandango so I see him picking up the win here. It just doesn’t make sense to beat a guy in his debut match and Jericho is pretty much Teflon at this point so I’m confident Fandango is getting his hand raised in this match.
Rhodes Scholars & Bellas vs. Tons of Funk & Funkettes: This match could certainly go either way, and in the end it doesn’t matter all that much. Getting pinned in an 8 man mixed tag isn’t hurting anybody, so I’m going with the feel good moment of Team Funky picking up the win and everyone shaking their booty.
Mark Henry vs. The Ryback: For me this comes down to who needs it most. I’m not sure Ryback has had a significant win on PPV yet so I think he needs this win so much more than Mark. Mark has been a killer much longer than Ryback and Mark just being Mark gives him all the credibility he needs. Ryback losing this one I think really hurts him, where Mark will be fine either way. I’m picking The Ryback.
The Shield vs. Orton, Show, Sheamus: I’m picking The Shield in this one. I don’t think they have been beaten in a match yet and I don’t see any reason to start now. Orton, Show, and Sheamus are not a regular team so having a miscue either on purpose or by accident by someone on this team leading to one of them getting pinned is what I would do. Thinking long term The Shield staying strong just makes sense.
The Rock On The Cover Of WWE 2K14, WWE Training Facility Opening In June
Stephanie McMahon tweeted several newsworthy items this afternoon:
– WWE Champion The Rock will be featured on the cover of the upcoming WWE 2K14 video game, due out this fall.
– WWE’s new Performance Center training facility near Orlando, Florida is opening in June.
– The next WWE Studios film, No One Lives (featuring Brodus Clay) comes out on May 10th.
– WWE construction toy line coming soon with partner The Bridge.
– An interesting fact: “More brand new Superstars than any other WrestleMania in history will compete at WrestleMania 29.
Shawn Michaels Teases He’ll Get Involved In Triple H vs. Lesnar
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was interviewed by the Huffington Post this weekend and teased that he could get physically involved in Triple H’s match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Triple H vs. Lesnar: “Obviously, I’m going to be there in his his corner. The whole time.Yeah, you can’t have WrestleMania without Mr. WrestleMania if I’m just standing there. I’m going to do something. Are you kidding me? I’m going to stick my nose in there and do something. I’m going to cause some kind of trouble, I just hope it’s not for Hunter.
WWE’s Crazy Schedule: “They have a lot more television shows and the challenge for them is – it’s tough to continue be creative when you’re producing four television shows a week. You have a live Monday Night Raw every Monday night 52 weeks a year, so it’s an Iron Man’s job.”
The Demands Of Being A Superstar: “It’s an unbelievably physically-demanding job. You’re doing it 250 days a year in different cities every night. Other jobs are tough as well, but football, basketball, and baseball are seasonal. In MMA, they’ll take three or four fights a year. It has its tough job requirements as well, but WWE is no cake-walk, but it is a glorious existence.”
CM Punk Being Compared To Him: “I think he’s going to be his own guy and that’s what I like about Punk,” Michaels said. “He’s got a great attitude, so he’s certainly going to be one of the guys who is the future of WWE.”
SmackDown Backstage Fallout & Social Media Score
– Friday’s WWE SmackDown featuring matches taped on Monday night before RAW and footage from the WrestleMania 29 AXXESS fan fest had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 85,141, an increase of 20% over the previous week. Nevertheless, Smackdown ranked #3 on cable TV, trailing the Miami Heat on ESPN and SpongeBob on Nickelodeon.
– Here is the latest installment of WWE Backstage Fallout:
How does Tons of Funk deal with bullies? Find out in the SmackDown edition of “Backstage Fallout.” Plus, Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter put out the “welcome mat” for World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio.
Hornswoggle Wins 2K Sports Superstar Challenge At Axxess
Hornswoggle won the 2013 2K Sports Superstar Challenge at WrestleMania 29 Axxess, defeating Big E Langston in the tournament finals. The two played WWE ’13 on the Xbox platform.
Hornswoggle won the tournament that included The Usos, Damien Sandow, Langston, Kaitlyn, Rosa Mendes, JTG, Kofi Kingston, Tyson Kidd, Epico, Hunico, Sin Cara, Alex Riley, Primo and Zack Ryder.
Here is Hornswoggle with his trophy:
Bruno Sammartino Talks About Cena & Punk, Billy Graham’s Brain Fried From Drugs
In his last interview before going in the Hall of Fame, Bruno Sammartino joined Inside The Ropes on Thursday night, here are the highlights:
Billy Graham’s Recent Comments About Him:
I think I feel sorry for him. I think he’s done so much drugs throughout his career that his brains been burned out because he speaks of things he knows nothing about. For example in my own situation, he knows very well that when I spoke about WWE and was very critical about them, that he had heard me say if they changed everything that I would change my mind. He heard me from years ago saying yes I would. He’s been critical of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, New York and he wanted out of that because he got mad at somebody, I don’t know who. He recently was appalled at CM Punk because he said something about me wrestling in the Garden once a month. The things that Billy Graham says, I really have no idea why he says them. He talks about things without really knowing all the facts. I just think there’s something wrong with the man.
His thoughts on John Cena:
He looks very well, looks like he works out very hard. He moves well in the ring and I have only seen him maybe twice all together. I have not seen enough of him, but from what I’ve seen you can tell he absolutely is one of the top ones in the organization but sometimes I would like to see these guys wrestle a 30-40 minute match. i can get a better idea of how good they are, when they have to put in that kind of time, tells me wheat kind of condition they have and how their skills would be out there for that amount of time. I haven’t seen any long matches like that yet. One of the times I saw him in a cage match and there was a referee and they were doing wrestling holds. In my day, you would have a cage match as maybe the third match with a guy and there would be no referee, and just everything goes and the fans used to find that extremely exciting. Now it’s so changed, thes guys are doing regular armlocks and headlocks. It’s so different now, I just can’t compare it to the era I was involved in.
What he thinks of CM Punk as a performer:
I think his interviews for a villain…I think he’s very, very good. That’s why it surprised me that Billy Graham would say anything when he used to be a villain who would say things to put down his opponents, even myself. I think he does a very good job when he gets on the microphone, how he talks, how he says it. I took no offence at CM Punk, I know he was doing it to be a villain, that’s what he does. But I think he does a very good job when he gets on that microphone as a villain, what he says, how he talks, how he says it. As a villain I think he does a tremendous job and as a wrestler, I’ve seen him a few times and I think he’s pretty darn good. He’s not too bad at all. The only thing is I think if he was in my era, he would be a little bit too small, we had bigger built guys back then.
To hear the full interview where Bruno talks about going in the HOF, what he plans to say to Vince McMahon, what he’s thought about his speech and more, head over to Facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.
Cody Rhodes Talks About Part-Time WWE Superstars, Feuding With Goldust
Chad Dukes of 1067theFan DC/CBS Radio and Chaddukeswrestling.com interviewed Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania Axxess. Here are some highlights of what Cody said about:
Part-Time Wrestlers:
I love the fact that Brock, and the Rock, and Jericho are here because they’re guaranteed. They’ve proven that they can go in the ring. For Wrestlemania this year, I think it’s wonderful. I think there wasn’t any room for that celebrity involvement. Who’s a bigger celebrity than the Rock? I think it’s wonderful that he’s returning to his roots, because he loves wrestling. He loves wrestling. He loves sports entertainment too, but he loves wrestling. I dig that about the Rock.
But next year, at WrestleMania 30, it’s a personal goal – and I know Dolph (Ziggler) is the same way, Wade (Barrett) is probably the same way – that it’s not about bringing anyone back. Let these guys go home. They did everything they possibly could, let them go home. They’re going to go off into the sunset heroes and having had great matches, but new stars are moving forward. Sports entertainment has to evolve or it won’t continue.
Feuding With Goldust
Yeah, it’ll happen. I just don’t know when and I don’t know where. He doesn’t know when and he doesn’t know where, but I know it’ll happen. There are certain things, and I don’t mean to sound cocky or braggadocios, but there are certain things I know have to happen while I work for this company, and that’s one of them.
Cena Seeks Advice From Oprah & Ellen, First Look At NXT Women’s Championship
– With his WrestleMania 29 showdown with The Rock just over 24 hours away, John Cena reached out to Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres on Twitter asking them for tips on how to handle the hostile crowd at the MetLife Stadium:
? 4 some very responsible ladies, @Oprah @TheEllenShow #WrestleMania @WWE fans should b #hostile any tips 4 survival? #RTime=NOW
— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 6, 2013
– It appears that WWE will soon be introducing an NXT Women’s championship. NXT does not even have a sanctioned women’s championship yet, but the following belt was on display at WWE AXXESS (thanks to @BlazeKingNJ):
WrestleMania Restrospective – WrestleMania XXVIII (2012)
Here’s Part 28 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th
WrestleMania 28 (2012)
Tagline: “Once in a Lifetime”
Date: April 1, 2012
Venue: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
America the Beautiful: Lillian Garica
Attendance: 78,363
The Undertaker’s Streak: 20-0 (Def. Triple H)
World Heavyweight Championship Match
WrestleMania XXVIII was the twenty-eighth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the highest grossing PPV event in professional wrestling history.
World Heavyweight Championship
In January 2012, at the twenty-fifth annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Sheamus won the thirty-man Royal Rumble match, giving him the right to challenge either the WWE Champion or the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania XXVIII. Sheamus announced on SmackDown that he would decide who he wishes to face at WrestleMania after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. At the Elimination Chamber event in February, Sheamus attacked Daniel Bryan, after the latter successfully retained his World Heavyweight Championship in an Elimination Chamber match, thus declaring his wish to challenge Bryan for his title at WrestleMania. The match was officially announced the next day on WWE.com.
In the first televised match, World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan defended his title against Sheamus. After receiving a good luck kiss from his storyline girlfriend AJ, Bryan was surprised by Sheamus, who hit a brogue kick and pinned him to win the title. With only eighteen seconds, this was one of the shortest title matches in WWE history.
End Of An Era
A second main event, billed as the “end of an era”, featured the Undertaker against Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match. The previous year at WrestleMania XXVII, in a No Holds Barred match, The Undertaker defeated Triple H via submission, in their second encounter at a WrestleMania (the first being at WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001, where the Undertaker won as well). However, in the post-match events, due to the harsh physicality suffered during the bout, the Undertaker, for the first time in his career, was carted away from the Georgia Dome by the medical staff on a stretcher. After a near ten-month long hiatus, The Undertaker returned on the January 30, 2012 edition of Raw, confronting and challenging Triple H to a rematch at WrestleMania XXVIII. The Undertaker, having been dissatisfied of his post-WrestleMania match scenario the previous year, stated that he “did not want ‘that scene’ to be a lasting memory” of him and was willing to give Triple H “another chance at immortality”.
After Triple H refused to accept the challenge the next week on Raw, his close friend and WWE Hall of Famer, Shawn Michaels appeared on the February 13 episode of Raw to instigate him in accepting The Undertaker’s challenge, which was in vain as Triple H stated he was willing to put his ego and personal agendas aside for the future of WWE, and viewed The Undertaker’s 19-0 undefeated WrestleMania streak as a “brand” to cash-in for the company, finally ending the argument saying he would not be the one to end it. Then, on the February 20 episode of Raw, The Undertaker still remained adamant in getting a WrestleMania rematch with Triple H, going so far as to label Triple H as a “coward”, and comparing his abilities and career to that of Shawn Michaels.Enraged by these comments, Triple H finally accepted The Undertaker’s challenge at WrestleMania XXVIII, saying that if “he [Undertaker] wanted an end, they would go all the way”, and proposed that they would compete in a Hell in a Cell match. On the March 5 episode of Raw, Michaels confronted Triple H again, this time expressing his views on the debate of who was better than the other (Michaels or Triple H), and predicting Triple H’s chances of defeating The Undertaker, in addition to announcing that he would be the special guest referee in their Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania.
The first main event match was a Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and The Undertaker with Shawn Michaels as special guest referee billed as “the end of an era”. The match started off with the two going back and forth. The match moved to the outside where The Undertaker dominated. Now back in the ring, Triple H assaulted Undertaker with the steel steps and even countered a Hell’s Gate. The match would intensify when Triple H brought steel chairs and a sledgehammer into the ring. After multiple big moves and weapon shots on each other the two men repeatedly kicked out.
After being hit with multiple Pedigrees, a Sweet Chin Music, and multiple chair and sledgehammer shots, Undertaker managed to
comeback and execute a Tombstone Piledriver, however Triple H managed to kick out. Triple H hit one more Pedigree before the Undertaker kicked out, took back control, hit another Tombstone, and won the match to extend his undefeated streak to 20-0. After the match, Undertaker and Michaels helped Triple H out of the ring and made it to the entrance stage where they embraced.
Once In A Lifetime
The main event of WrestleMania XXVIII featured The Rock wrestling against John Cena. On the February 14, 2011 episode of Raw, The Rock was revealed as the host of WrestleMania XXVII, and upon his return to WWE, began a feud with John Cena (and Cena’s opponent at that WrestleMania, then-WWE Champion, The Miz), which continued for weeks in terms of verbal insults, until the March 28 episode of Raw, where Cena delivered the Attitude Adjustment to the Rock after he fended off attacks from the Miz and Alex Riley.
At WrestleMania XXVII, the Rock got involved in the main event WWE Championship match, which initially ended in The Miz’s favor via a double count-out.
After the match was restarted under no disqualifications, no count-outs rules, the Rock delivered a Rock Bottom to Cena, thus enabling the Miz to win the match. The next night on Raw, Cena challenged the Rock to a one-on-one match; Rock accepted and proposed that it be held at WrestleMania XXVIII. The following week, Cena announced his intent to defend the WWE Championship against The Rock in their match at WrestleMania XXVIII.
On the May 2 episode of Raw celebrating the Rock’s birthday, Cena, whilst holding the WWE Championship, confronted the Rock and declared his intent to keep the title until their match. At Survivor Series in November 2011, Cena teamed with the Rock (who made his in-ring return in a match in WWE after nearly eight years, last competing at WrestleMania XX), and billed as “the most charismatic tag team”, and defeated the Miz and R-Truth, collectively known as Awesome Truth. After the match, The Rock gave a Rock Bottom to Cena. As Cena did not hold the WWE Championship heading into WrestleMania, it wound up being a standard singles match.
The Rock and John Cena both had hip-hop artists perform as part of their entrance. Machine Gun Kelly who was introduced by P. Diddy, opened for John Cena, performing Invincible. Flo-Rida performed on behalf of The Rock and performed Wild Ones and Good Feeling. During the match, John Cena and The Rock viciously went back-and-forth with each other throughout the match. The Rock kicked out of two Attitude Adjustments, Cena out of a Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow. When Cena attempted a People’s Elbow on the Rock, he ran into another Rock Bottom, which allowed the Rock to pick up the win.
WrestleMania XXVIII Results
Pre-show Primo and Epico (c) (with Rosa Mendes) defeated Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd and The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) Triple Threat Tag Team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship 05:11
• Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan (c) (with AJ) Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship 00:18
• Kane defeated Randy Orton Singles match 10:56
• Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes (c) Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship 05:18
• Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres Tag Team match 06:49
• The Undertaker defeated Triple H Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee 30:50
• Team Johnny (David Otunga (captain), Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, The Miz, and Drew McIntyre) (with John Laurinaitis, Vickie Guerrero and Brie Bella) defeated Team Teddy (Santino Marella (captain), R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, The Great Khali, and Booker T) (with Theodore Long, Hornswoggle, Eve Torres, Nikki Bella and Aksana) Twelve-man tag team match to determine the General Manager of both the Raw and SmackDown brands. 10:38
• CM Punk (c) defeated Chris Jericho via submission Singles match for the WWE Championship with the added stipulation that Punk would lose the title if he was disqualified. 22:21
• The Rock defeated John Cena Singles match 33:34
The Next Night On Raw
The next on Raw, at the end of a wild night. Brock Lesnar made his return to the WWE in 8 years. Attacking John Cena with an F5. He would later go on to face John Cena at Extreme Rules.
Although Daniel Bryan would lose his World Heavyweight Championship the Red Hot Miami Crowd would crown a new star, by incessantly chanting Yes! Yes! Yes! the whole night. It was after Raw went off the air, that the crowd got the payoff they deserved with a match featuring Daniel Bryan.
Daniel Bryan spoke with the crowd after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMBZJtUOi94
WrestleMania Restrospective – WrestleMania XXVII (2011)
Here’s Part 27 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th
WrestleMania 27 (2011)
Tagline: “The Biggest WrestleMania Ever”
Date: April 3, 2011
Venue: Georgia Dome, Atlanta Georgia
America the Beautiful: Keri Hilson
Attendance: 71,617
The Undertaker’s Streak: 19-0 (Def. Triple H)
WrestleMania XXVII was the twenty-seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), held on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.The event was the first WrestleMania in the state of Georgia and the second to be held in Southeastern United States, following WrestleMania XXIV. This was the final WrestleMania and the final pay-per-view promoted under the “World Wrestling Entertainment” banner, which was changed to WWE less than four days later.
Tickets for the event commenced sale to the public on November 13, 2010.According to WWE’s second-quarter earnings report, WrestleMania XXVII generated 1,059,000 PPV buys,up roughly 30% domestically and 15% internationally from the previous year. The event grossed US$6.6 million in revenue with 71,617 in attendance, making it the second highest grossing event in WWE behind WrestleMania XXV. It generated $62.1 million in economic impact for Atlanta, a $17 million increase from the previous WrestleMania event, and also generated approximately $7.8 million in local, state and county taxes.
The Rock
WrestleMania XXVII marked the return of The Rock to WrestleMania since 2004. The Rock, who guest hosted the event, walked to the ring at the shows open and cut a promo, mocking John Cena as well as firing up the crowd for WrestleMania. The Rock, the guest host, walked to the ring and cut a promo, mocking John Cena as well as firing up the crowd for WrestleMania XXVII.
Edge’s Last Match
The first televised match was for the World Heavyweight Championship. This match saw Edge defending his title against 2011 Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio. Christian came out to watch the match ringside, as well as Brodus Clay and Ricardo Rodriguez. In the early part of the match, Del Rio focused on Edge’s injured arm and Christian warded off Clay and Ricardo. After some back and forth action, the ending came when Edge and Del Rio locked in their signature maneuvers. Edge locked in the Edgeucator while Del Rio locked in the Cross Armbreaker. When both men got up, Edge hit the Spear for the win. After the match, Edge and Christian destroyed Del Rio’s car. This would end up being Edge’s last match, as he announced his retirement a week later on Raw due to a legitimate neck injury.
On the April 11 Raw, Edge announced his legitimate retirement from the WWE, due to injury and orders by his doctor, making his last match for the company against Del Rio at WrestleMania. Edge vacated the World Heavyweight Championship on the April 15 edition of SmackDown, therefore retiring as world champion. Christian would win the title at Extreme Rules in a ladder match against Del Rio, only to lose it at the hands of Randy Orton, on the May 6 episode of SmackDown.
Michael Cole Vs Jerry “The King” Lawler
Booker T and Jim Ross came out to call this match, which featured Michael Cole accompanied by Jack Swagger against Jerry “The King” Lawler, with the special guest referee being Stone Cold Steve Austin. This match started off with Lawler trying to get Cole out of his cole mine, and after some time, he did so and started pounding on him. Cole managed to counter and had the upper hand on Lawler for most of the match. Swagger tried to help Cole by throwing in the towel when Lawler began to take control but was denied and then got a Stone Cold Stunner. Lawler then forced Cole to tap out with the ankle lock while Stone Cold mocked him. After the match, Stone Cold shared a beer with Lawler and stunned Booker T, who came out to celebrate with Lawler.
After Lawler had seemingly won, the anonymous Raw GM reversed the decision in an email read by Josh Mathews because Stone Cold was a biased referee, making Cole the winner by disqualification. Stone Cold then proceeded to stun Mathews as well in retribution. Lawler then replaced Mathews and Booker T as the color commentator for the rest of the night, with Jim Ross doing the play-by-play.
The Streak
The No Holds Barred match featured two icons in the WWE: The Undertaker and Triple H. Triple H first came out to For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica wearing a mask and suit, then removed it for his normal entrance theme.
The beginning of this match started off with Taker and Triple H going at it outside of the ring, destroying Michael Cole’s “cole mine” in the process. Triple H first gave a spinebuster to Undertaker through the Spanish announce table. This match went back and forth, with Undertaker hitting Triple H with a Chokeslam, Last Ride, but still Triple H kicked out of both. After that, Triple H answered back with a Pedigree, but Undertaker kicked out. Undertaker then hit the Tombstone Piledriver, but Triple H kicked out. The Game then nailed Undertaker with a chair shot to the head and a DDT on the chair, but after some more back and forth action Triple H was able to execute a second Pedigree, but Taker kicked out. Triple H immediately nailed him with a devastating third Pedigree, but The Undertaker still kicked out. After numerous steel chair shots, and telling Taker to stay down, Triple H seemingly had the match won when he executed Undertaker’s Tombstone Piledriver, but Undertaker once again kicked out. Triple H then grabbed a sledgehammer, but Undertaker locked the Hell’s Gate on Triple H. He tried to fight out of it, but Triple H tapped out.
The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak thus continued to 19-0. After the match, the Undertaker had to be helped to the locker room by WWE staff after he collapsed outside the ring and could not walk under his own power.
WWE Championship
The last match was for the WWE Championship. It featured John Cena facing off against current champion The Miz (accompanied by Alex Riley). The first highlight of the match occurred when Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle on The Miz. Cena then went for the Attitude Adjustment, but Miz countered with a DDT. There was a lot of back and forth action until The Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale. That didn’t keep Cena down as he managed to hit the Attitude Adjustment; however, that didn’t keep Miz down either. Both men fought outside of the ring, but knocked each other out in the process. The match ended in a double countout, meaning The Miz would retain his title.
The Rock came out to intervene, but the Raw GM made an announcement. The Rock went to read it, but then disregarded it. He called for a restart to the match with a no disqualification, no countout, no time limit stipulation. The match restarted and, with Cena dragging Miz back inside the ring and attempting to execute an Attitude Adjustment, wasn’t successful. In retaliation for the Attitude Adjustment that Cena gave him on the Raw episode prior to WrestleMania, The Rock stalked Cena from behind and hit a Rock Bottom on him. Taking advantage, The Miz then covered a fallen Cena for the win.
After the match, The Rock had a staredown with Miz until Rock commenced an attack on him, ending the ambush with his signature spinebuster and his finisher, The People’s Elbow. WrestleMania XXVII went off air with The Rock posing on top of the turnbuckles for the fans.
Raw After WrestleMania XXVII
The following night on Raw, John Cena and The Rock agreed to face each other in a match at WrestleMania XXVIII, marking the first time a match had been announced almost a year in advance for any WrestleMania.
WrestleMania XXVII Results
Dark King Sheamus (c) wrestled Daniel Bryan to a no-contest Lumberjack match for the WWE United Dark The Great Khali won by last eliminating Sheamus 23-Man Battle Royal 08:34
• Edge (c) (with Christian) defeated Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez and Brodus Clay) Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
• Cody Rhodes defeated Rey Mysterio Singles match 11:59
• Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella, and Kofi Kingston defeated The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater) 8-Man Tag Team match 01:34
• Randy Orton defeated CM Punk Singles match 14:46
• Michael Cole (with Jack Swagger) defeated Jerry Lawler by Disqualification Singles match with Stone Cold Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee 13:36
• The Undertaker defeated Triple H by submission No Holds Barred match 29:33
• John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi defeated Dolph Ziggler and LayCool (Layla and Michelle McCool) (with Vickie Guerrero) 6-Person Mixed Tag Team match 03:17
• The Miz (c) (with Alex Riley) defeated John Cena Singles match for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania Restrospective – WrestleMania XXVI (2010)
Here’s Part 26 of our WrestleMania Retrospective series, looking back at past WrestleMania events as we march towards WrestleMania 29 on April 7th
WrestleMania 26 (2010)
Tagline: “Get All Fired Up”
Date: March 28, 2010
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
America the Beautiful: Fantasia Barrino
Attendance: 72,219
The Undertaker’s Streak: 18-0 (Def. HBK)
Global Spectrum, University of Phoenix Stadium’s operator, had worked in previous years with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to recruit the event to its venue. On January 18, 2008, Global Spectrum publicly announced its intentions to host WrestleMania in 2010. The event gained media attention weeks prior when a photo of Wayne Gretzky, then head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, wearing a shirt promoting the event surfaced in the Swedish newspaper Expressen.A press conference was held on February 24, 2009 at the University of Phoenix Stadium to formally announce the event for Glendale, Arizona at the University of Phoenix Stadium; this event marked the first time WrestleMania has been held in the state of Arizona. Tickets for the event went on sale November 7, 2009 at 10:00am MST.
The roof of the University of Phoenix Stadium was opened several times during the event, marking the third time in WrestleMania history after WrestleMania IX and XXIV that the event has been held in an open-air venue.Like the previous open-air events, a steel tarpaulin structure was placed over the ring, which was placed at the 50-yard line. Custom-built from Belgium, the tarpaulin held 30 tons of light and camera equipment, with much of the equipment shipped from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Over 1,000 lights were used, adapting to the decrease in sunlight as the show continued into the night. The entrance stage stood 8 feet (2.4 m) off the stadium floor and measured 120 feet (37 m) wide. In an interview with
The Arizona Republic, production manager Brian Petree described the stage design as a “completely new design that hasn’t been done anywhere and won’t be done again,” while production designer Jason Robinson discussed about basing his stage design themes often on local flavors. The entrance ramp linking to the stage has been lined with cauldrons of fire, each at a temperature of 1,000 °F (538 °C). In addition, 400,000 individual pieces of pyrotechnic product have been launched 200 feet (61 m) into the open air after Robinson promised to introduce new types of pyrotechnics never used in a WWE show before. Pre-planning for the set-up began six months before the event, while the construction structures and equipment inside the stadium began two weeks before the event. It is estimated that 100 trucks were used to deliver equipment, in comparison to the 12 semitrucks used in a regular WWE show.
Money in The Bank
The annual Money in the Bank ladder match took place. The match started off with every superstar trying to incapacitate each other long enough to climb and retrieve the briefcase. In between Jack Swagger was stuck in between a ladder with Christian and Matt Hardy hitting him with two ladders of their own. Another instance was when Evan Bourne performed a shooting star press, known as ‘Air Bourne’ on Christian from a vertically placed ladder wedged between another and the middle rope. The match came to an end when Jack Swagger hit Christian with the Money in the Bank briefcase sending him falling down and giving Swagger enough time to unhook the briefcase and become the new Mr. Money in the Bank.[57]
Triple H Vs Sheamus
The match started with Sheamus taunting Triple H and calling himself the future of the business. He then spent most of the time dominating Triple H with his back breaker and submission moves. Triple H then took back control of the match by performing a Facebreaker knee smash and spinebuster on Sheamus. Sheamus then hit Triple H with a Brouge Kick and then tried to hit him with a High Cross only for Triple H to reverse and hit Sheamus with the Pedigree to win the match.
Vince McMahon VS Bret Hart
As a guest host of the January 4 episode of Raw, Bret Hart made his return to the show, the first time since the Montreal Screwjob incident at the 1997 Survivor Series where Vince McMahon was involved in legitimately double-crossing Hart out of the WWF Championship. On Raw, Hart tried to put all hostilities aside and make peace with McMahon. However, McMahon again betrayed Hart and kicked him in the groin. The rivalry was further fueled during Hart’s second appearance a month later, where McMahon refused to induct Hart’s father, Stu Hart, into the WWE Hall of Fame. On the February 8 episode of Raw, John Cena called out McMahon and told him that Hart wanted to face him at WrestleMania, which McMahon accepted. However, Hart who had been banned from the arena, showed up and attacked McMahon. Hiding behind security guards, McMahon changed his mind canceled the bout. Unable to get his match, Hart addressed the fans a week later and decided to make his goodbye, thanking them. Later on that night, Hart was involved in a car accident when a reversing car smashed the open door from Hart’s limousine onto his leg, sending Hart immediately to hospital. McMahon agreed to feature the March 1 episode of Raw a “proper farewell” from Hart, but the segment ended up as a challenge from McMahon for the WrestleMania bout. Despite initial reluctance from Hart due to his leg, Hart was convinced to accept after McMahon said he had no more “Hart”, called him a coward and kicked his crutches from underneath him. A contract signing was held two weeks later, moderated by guest host Stone Cold Steve Austin, who reversed McMahon’s decision on Stu Hart’s induction into the Hall of Fame. Before the contract was signed, Hart asked for the match to be a No Holds Barred match, which McMahon agreed to. Afterwards, Hart revealed that his leg was perfectly fine and that his car accident was a setup created by Cena and himself to force a match out of McMahon legally. And if Vince tried to back out in any possible way, Bret Hart could sue Vince for all that he’s got.
McMahon entered and informed Hart that he wanted to give him a “Wrestlemania sized” screwing and called out Hart’s family claiming he had paid them to turn on Hart. Hart then informed McMahon that his family had informed him about this before and that they would screw Vince instead. The match featured members of the Hart family including The Hart Dynasty beating on McMahon with Bruce Hart as the referee. Hart then placed McMahon in the Sharpshooter, with McMahon tapping out to end the match.[60]
World Heavyweight Championship
During the match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring Edge and reigning champion Chris Jericho. Each man tried to get the better of each other only to be countered every time. The match ended when Jericho hit Edge with the championship belt and a Codebreaker to win and retain his title. After the match Jericho attempted to hurt Edge further but was fought off and was speared by Edge through the barricade outside the ring.[61]
WWE Championship
One of the predominant rivalries heading into WrestleMania XXVI was between John Cena and Batista for the WWE Championship. The conflict started when Cena sided with Bret Hart over Hart’s hostility with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. When Hart and McMahon confronted each other on the February 1 episode of Raw, Batista saved McMahon from an attack and ambushed Hart from behind. After the show ended, Cena tried to help Hart but was too attacked by Batista. In the opening match of the Elimination Chamber event, Cena won the WWE Championship from Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber match but was shortly interrupted by McMahon, who ordered a title match between Cena and Batista to take place on the spot. With Cena too tired to compete, Batista defeated him and won the title. On the February 22 episode of Raw, Cena asked for a rematch for the title at WrestleMania, which McMahon gave him the opportunity to as long as he defeated Batista that night. Later that night, Batista intentionally got himself disqualified by kicking Cena in the groin to set up their match at WrestleMania.
John Cena and Batista fought for the WWE Championship next. Cena entered the ring after a performance from the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team. Batista dominated the first half of the match. Cena made a return after hitting a suplex. The match started to go evenly after that. An instance included Cena hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle off the top of the turnbuckle. The match came to an end after Cena reversed a Batista Bomb into an STF. Batista eventually tapped out. Cena won the match and the WWE Championship, making him an eight-time World champion.
Streak Vs Career
At WrestleMania XXV, Shawn Michaels was unsuccessful in defeating The Undertaker and ending Undertaker’s undefeated streak at the event. When the match won the 2009 Slammy Award for Match of the Year, Michaels told in his acceptance speech that he could still defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania and challenged him to a rematch. A month later, The Undertaker, then the World Heavyweight Champion, made his reply and refused a rematch. The refusal saw Michaels more obsessed about facing the Undertaker at the event, attacking referee Charles Robinson and SmackDown general manager Theodore Long respectively after failing his title match opportunities in the Royal Rumble match and Elimination Chamber qualifiers. At the Elimination Chamber event, Michaels sneaked into Undertaker’s Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship and performed a Sweet Chin Music on The Undertaker, enabling Chris Jericho to defeat The Undertaker and win the World Heavyweight Championship. On the following night, The Undertaker changed his mind and accepted the rematch but with one condition, that if Michaels loses, he would have to retire. Michaels accepted, noting that if he can’t end the streak, there’s no reason why his career should continue. Two weeks later, Michaels and The Undertaker agreed on another additional stipulation, that the match will have no disqualifications and no count-outs.
The final match featured was the billed “Streak vs Career” match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The match started out with both men hitting their signature moves early on. The Undertaker injured his leg while performing Old School and Shawn focused on his leg. The action then went outside the ring. An instance included where Undertaker hit the Tombstone Piledriver on the stadium floor, but Michaels kicked out when Undertaker tried to pin him in the ring. Afterwards in the match, Shawn Michaels hit a Sweet Chin Music. Soon after, Undertaker also hit the Chokeslam and the Last Ride successfully, but Michaels kicked out of each. Shawn also applied numerous submission maneuvers on Undertaker’s injured ankle, such as the Ankle Lock, Figure Four Leglock, and Crossface, but The Undertaker was successful in countering all of them. Undertaker also applied the Hell’s Gate, but Michaels reversed it into a pin attempt, with Undertaker kicking for a two count. When the action spilled outside again, Undertaker attempted a Last Ride on the announce table, but Michaels countered it and hit a second Sweet Chin Music, which placed the Undertaker on top of the announce table. Michaels performed a moonsault aiming on the Undertaker’s injured ankle.
After taking The Undertaker back in the ring again, Michaels then hit his third Sweet Chin Music on Undertaker, who kicked out at two yet again. Michaels then attempted Sweet Chin Music again but Undertaker countered into a Chokeslam, and quickly followed up by hitting Michaels with a second Tombstone Piledriver. But Michaels kicked out at the count of two. Undertaker began to signal the end for Michaels, but stopped his cut-throat action and told Michaels to stay down. Michaels, however, taunted Undertaker by completing the action on his own and slapping him in the face. Then Undertaker responded with a third jumping Tombstone Piledriver and pinned the fallen Shawn Michaels for the win, and extended his undefeated streak at WrestleMania to 18–0, ending Michaels’ long career. After the match the two shook hands and embraced. Undertaker soon left and Shawn Michaels interacted with
the fans for the final time as the event came to a close.
WrestleMania 26 Results
Dark Yoshi Tatsu won by last eliminating Zack Ryder 26-man Battle Royal 08:34
• ShoMiz (The Miz and The Big Show) (c) defeated John Morrison and R-Truth Tag Team match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship 03:24
• Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Triple Threat Match 09:01
• Jack Swagger defeated Christian, Matt Hardy, Kane, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Montel Vontavious Porter and Evan Bourne Money in the Bank Ladder Match 13:44
• Triple H defeated Sheamus Singles Match 12:09
• Rey Mysterio defeated CM Punk (with Luke Gallows and Serena) Singles match; if Punk had won, Mysterio would have had to join the Straight Edge Society. 06:30
• Bret Hart defeated Mr. McMahon via submission No Holds Barred Lumberjack match with Bruce Hart as the Special Guest Referee 11:09
• Chris Jericho (c) defeated Edge Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship 15:48
• Michelle McCool, Vickie Guerrero, Alicia Fox, Layla and Maryse defeated Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Gail Kim and Eve Torres 10-Diva Tag Team match 03:26
• John Cena defeated Batista (c) via submission Singles match for the WWE Championship 13:31
• The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels No Disqualification Streak vs Career Match 23:59
AJ Lee Talks About WrestleMania 29, If She Plans To Wrestle More
AJ Lee spoke with IGN.com to promote WrestleMania 29. Here are some highlights:
IGN TV: I was at WrestleMania last year, and I feel like things were already on the rise for you, but I think that that was the starting point for so much that followed. What’s it like for you to be back at WrestleMania a year later with so much having changed?
AJ Lee: It’s insane. Like you were saying, last year, honestly, everything that had happened to that point was kind of the be-all, end-all for me. I was like, “This is so amazing. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Everything kind of happened by accident. I was so appreciative. I was like, “Cool, it’s ending at Mania. What a cool way to go out! I’ll go back to Superstars and have fun.” And Superstars was fun anyway — I’d do it right now. But I’m always mentally prepared for everything to end, and I was then. I was like, “Wow, this is so amazing. I’m so happy I got this opportunity.” Then another door opened, and then it closed. I thought, “Wow, that was awesome! All right, let’s see what happens.” And it just keeps going, and that’s probably the coolest thing for me, and I think that if at any second everything were to end, I would be so happy because I’d done pretty much everything I came to do, and then some. I feel super complete. I’m really lucky to be a year and a half into my official career and to feel complete, like I’ve done everything that I need to, so now everything’s kind of gravy. I’m just fighting for longevity, I guess.
IGN: You and Kaitlyn have had a long friendship. Has it been fun for you with how things have gone with the two of you lately?
AJ: Oh my God, there’s nothing like punching your friend in the face! You can’t punch anyone else in the face as hard as you can your best friend. But it’s been insane, because two or three years ago I had Kaitlyn’s tryout — I’m kind of like the tryout girl. There have been a lot of people who have come in and gotten signed and I like to believe I helped and that I was the gateway. So she’s kind of my proudest project. I feel like her momma. I’m momma Diva for her. I helped her learn how to bump. Her first steps were with me, and her first match was with me, and her tryout was with me. Then to go through NXT together, we needed each other. It was like war. You need your buddy to get through that. We helped each other develop our on-screen characters and be comfortable with just being idiots. If you can do a robot handshake on camera, you can do anything. You just kind of have to have that ballsiness. We wouldn’t have done that without each other. So I started to get to do stuff, and that was amazing. She was so happy for me, and we did a little bit of stuff, some tag-team, before that. Then it was kind of bittersweet not to have her along for the ride. So when she got to do all that with Eve and get the title, it was so gratifying to see where we were and what scrubs we were before. “Look at us now!” You could not have two girls that are less of the Diva mold. We’re just dudes, and we joke like dudes. It’s so funny that now we’re the girls. That’s weird. [Laughs] But I can’t wait to beat her up, you know? One of these days!
IGN: You recently had a match against Kaitlyn. Might we see you back in the ring a little bit more going forward?
AJ: Gosh, I don’t know. I really love managing. When I was younger, I thought it would be so cool to be in this super badass group, and just kind of be the chick on the sidelines. And I appreciate that, and I think there’s a lot of value in that. I love that I get to get in the ring every now and then. I could not have a better mix of things for me. If I could get in the ring with anyone, it would be her. I’m dying for that. I think we could tear the roof off the place and just beat the crap out of each other. We have so much unfinished business, and there’s not a lot of females that have that kind of storytelling behind them. The story sort of writes itself, and I think people have figured that out and are kind of waiting for it, so that’s cool. Maybe we can keep them waiting; it’s all right.