WrestleMania

One of WWE’s Big Five, WrestleMania is arguably the largest pro wrestling event in the world. Its first iteration featured the likes of Andre the Giant, Mr T, and Hulk Hogan, and a total attendance of just shy of 20,000 people. With WWE increasing the stakes each year, its latest iteration, WrestleMania XL, is set to feature over 25 of the promotion’s biggest wrestlers, including Dwayne Johnson, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Rhea Ripley.

WrestleMania Origins

WrestleMania was conceptualized as a rival to NWA’s Starrcade, which began in 1983 and was initially organized by Jim Crockett Promotions. The two promotions were in a fierce battle to come out on top in the 80s, with NWA’s popularity waning as the then-WWF expanded nationwide, with a hope to go global. Former WWE head honcho Vince McMahon was credited with creating the concept of WrestleMania. The PPV’s name originated from WWF’s lead ring announcer Howard Finkel, as a play on the Beatlemania of the 60s.

As WWF’s inaugural PPV, the first-ever WrestleMania took place in 1985 at Madison Square Garden. Though WrestleMania 1 didn’t manage to outshine the 1985 edition of Starrcade, which had a combined attendance of 30,000 people, it still managed to beat Starrcade’s debut attendance of 15,000, with over 19,000 people attending WrestleMania 1 in person, setting the stage for a PPV that would go on to become a household name.

Evolution of WrestleMania

WrestleMania I-IV: The Foundation

Even with its debut, WrestleMania’s core tenet was “go big or go home”. WWF went all out, with a match card featuring wrestling greats like The Iron Sheikh, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, David and Bruno Sammartino, and The Fabulous Moolah. In keeping with what would later become tradition, the flagship marquee event also featured several big names from the era, including boxing legend Muhammed Ali, pianist Liberace, pop sensation Cyndi Lauper, and New York Yankees manager Billy Martin.

The all-round success of WrestleMania 1 saw WWF overtake NWA and AWA (American Wrestling Association). The event was critical to the '80s wrestling boom, which saw a sharp increase in the demand for professional wrestling.

Shortly after, WrestleMania II took the show to another level, simultaneously taking place in three different venues across the country - New York, Chicago, and California. While initially received poorly, as the logistics of organizing a major wrestling event across three venues overtook the promotion, it set the stage yet again for WWF one-upping itself with each edition.

In comparison, WrestleMania III managed to outshine its previous iterations, having broken the record for the largest recorded attendance at an indoor live event in North America with a purported attendance of over 93,000 people, only broken by WrestleMania 32 in 2016. It was also iconic for its matches, with Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage, and Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant going down in history as two of the greatest matches in pro wrestling history. While not as iconic as its predecessor, WrestleMania IV featured the first appearance of Donald Trump at a Mania, marking the start of the relationship between the promotion and the Trump Organization.

WrestleMania V-X: The Golden Era

WrestleMania during the Golden Era was truly something to behold. The promotion’s fame had skyrocketed, effectively cementing itself as a stalwart player in the pro wrestling industry. With the success of WrestleMania came the introduction of pay-per-views like SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series, meaning that the Golden Era had more to offer throughout the year.

However, WrestleMania’s popularity never waned with the addition of the new PPVs, as it continued to remain the biggest wrestling event in the country. WrestleMania saw some of the most legendary moments in WWE history in the early ‘90s. Major feuds between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and Shawn Michaels, aka Mr. WrestleMania, and Razor Ramon managed to outsell competitors in popularity.

The Golden Era of WWE served as a platform to cement the legacies of several WWE legends who have remained a household name till today, including Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Ultimate Warrior. WrestleMania VII also saw the beginning of The Undertaker’s Mania streak that would continue well into the 2010s.

WrestleMania XI-XX: Attitude Era Impact

WrestleMania during the Attitude Era saw the culmination of several iconic storylines coming to a head at the Grandest Stage of Them All. The PPV reached its peak during this period, with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin beating Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV for the WWF Championship title, marking the first of six title reigns.

This also marked the beginning of the legendary rivalry between Austin and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, the epitome of the Attitude Era. WrestleMania XV saw the first fight between the two pro wrestling stalwarts, where Stone Cold beat The Rock during the main event to win back the WWF Championship belt.

The beginning of the new Millennium also saw the introduction of the first-ever Triangle Ladder match, with the iconic tag teams The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian going against each other for the WWF Tag Team Championship. This era also saw the first-ever WrestleMania under the WWE at WrestleMania XIX, which also marked the end of Steve Austin’s feud with The Rock.

WrestleMania XXI-XXX: New Millennium Milestones

In keeping up with becoming bigger and better, WWE introduced the concept of the Money In The Back ladder match at WrestleMania 21, which would become a main fixture in the PLE. This period of WrestleMania managed to rival the Attitude Era, giving us iconic matches with The Undertaker vs Batista at WrestleMania 23 and Ric Flair’s retirement match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV.

WrestleMania XXX in particular was something to behold, as The Undertaker’s unbroken 22-year streak was finally broken by Brock Lesnar, rendering the WWE universe in awe. Other moments also include Daniel Bryan’s rise to the top after an initial win against Triple H and a win against Randy Orton and Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

WrestleMania during the 2010s

The latter half of the 2010s saw increased interest in WrestleMania as WrestleMania 32 broke the attendance record previously set by WrestleMania III, with an attendance of over 101,000 people. With WWE itself moving towards organizing events in international venues, this expanded the reach WrestleMania had with fans outside of the States. WrestleMania 35 was the first since 2000 to not feature The Undertaker, but more importantly, was also the first WrestleMania to feature a woman’s main event, with a triple threat match between Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey.

WrestleMania in the 2020s

WrestleMania 36 was a plethora of WrestleMania firsts, with the first-ever edition of the PLE to be held across two nights and the first to not have a live audience due to pandemic restrictions. Considering restrictions, the 2020 iteration of Mania was widely regarded a success, especially in the backdrop of no live audiences, as well as several last-minute changes to the roster to account for potential health risks. This was also heightened by WWE deciding to play with its format, with a Firefly Fun House match with Bray Wyatt taking down John Cena.

While WrestleMania 36 was an example of WWE making do, WrestleMania 37 saw the promotion come back bigger and better. The 37th iteration of The Show of Shows took place in Tampa, Florida, where the reduction in COVID-19 protocols meant more freedom for WrestleMania to have a live audience, albeit limited capacity and with restrictions to the audience.

This also marked the first WWE event to be livestreamed solely on Peacock, a product of the WWE Network’s earlier merger with Peacock in March of that year.

WrestleMania 38 marked the year when WWE returned the Showcase of the Immortals to its full capacity, with over 131,000 people attending over the course of two days. This also led to the evolution of WrestleMania Weekend, with WWE kickstarting the PLE with a special edition of Friday Night SmackDown featuring an Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The PLE also saw the surprise return of Cody Rhodes, as he took on Seth Rollins on Night 1, as well as Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar headlining the event on Night 2.

In its most recent iteration, WrestleMania continues to prove its worth as the biggest pro wrestling event in history, with Mania 39 grossing $21.6 million in ticket sales alone. The PLE saw the appearance of several modern WWE greats including John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Rey Mysterio, Charlotte Flair, Edge, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes.

WrestleMania XL Event Details

Event Name Change: WrestleMania Axxess has been rebranded as WWE World at WrestleMania.

Venue: This year's Mania will be hosted at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in partnership with Fanatics Events.

Duration: Scheduled to run from Thursday, April 4, to Monday, April 8.

Attractions of WrestleMania XL

Interview Panels: Attendees can participate in interactive panel sessions featuring WWE wrestlers.

Gaming Tournament: A WWE 2K24 gaming tournament will be held, allowing fans to compete against each other in virtual matches.

Live Podcast Recordings: Fans can witness live recordings of popular WWE-themed podcasts, offering exclusive content and discussions.

Meet-and-Greets: Opportunities for meet-and-greets with wrestlers will be available.

Merchandise Store: A large merchandise store will feature a wide range of memorabilia celebrating WrestleMania's 40-year history.