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| The Show of Shows, The Showcase of the Immortals, The Grandest Stage of them All |
What exactly is 'WrestleMania'?
WrestleMania is WWE's biggest show of the year, in theory, designed to showcase the company's best talent, with pageantry and spectacle turned up to fucking 99,000. Drawing some of their biggest crowds and highest broadcast numbers, WrestleMania, in terms of grandeur is second to none. Starting in 1985 in Madison Square Garden with an attendance of 19,000, to the 32nd 'Mania reporting a crowd of over 100,000 in the AT&T Stadium, WrestleMania has grown into a beast, with a few snags in the progression here and there. Throughout the years, WrestleMania has provided a stage for some of the biggest names in wrestling history; Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and more.
A big part of WrestleMania is what have come to be known as 'WrestleMania Moments', ranging from unbelievable spots in a match, monumental surprises, or just the sheer joy created from a win. Possibly the most iconic of these comes from the third 'Mania, where the immortal Hulk Hogan harnessed the power of Hulkamania to slam the colossal Andre the Giant;
However, in my living memory, the one that stands out most to me comes from 2014, at the 30th WrestleMania
A big part of WrestleMania that I mentioned was the pageantry. Those lucky few given a big spot on The Grandest Stage tend to get some big money thrown at their entrances, particularly in the last decade or so. This could be anything from some especially jazzy gear and clothing, props, extras, or like how at WrestleMania 31 Rusev rode in on a fucking tank.
In theory, WrestleMania lays witness to some of the biggest matches in the calendar year, WWE or otherwise. Behemoth clashes the likes of Rock/Austin, The Undertaker's legendary streak, and absolute classics have taken place at 'Manias. Luckily WWE's YouTube have been uploading some old 'Mania matches, and one such was the show-stealer of WrestleMania XIX that was Chris Jericho versus Shawn Michaels.
Also, WWE's developmental brand, NXT, has begun to hold a TakeOver the same week as WrestleMania in the area. Last year in Dallas, we saw the barnburner of Sami Zayn taking on the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura, plus the first WWE appearance of Bobby Roode, and all round, in my opinion, producing a show that was of better quality than WrestleMania 32.
Another event that is a key part of this whole deal would be the RAW (and SmackDown! this year) after 'Mania. Said to be the best episode of the year, and I would agree. It's a night of 'Mania fallout where we get to see what's coming in the next year in the form of debuts, shifts in rankings and positions, and surprises out the wazoo. The crowd is the hottest of any episode, with the international crowd still hanging around and being hands down the most vocal and passionate of the year. The reactions make everything that more memorable. Speaking of such things, here are two of the best moments in recent years that never fail to give me goosebumps. First, Dolph Ziggler cashes in;
Fucking thunderous. The other I wanted to include was following WrestleMania 28 when John Cena called for his previous night's opponent, The Rock, but instead, encountered a returning beast;
An note that I think is important in the grand scheme of things. WrestleMania isn't just beneficial to WWE, it is to wrestling as a whole. The past decade or so, a whole host of independent companies and the like descend upon 'Mania's host city and put on their own shows, drawing in big crowds of those in the area for WWE, creating a Mecca of professional wrestling. Ring of Honour puts on their 'Supercard of Honour', WrestleCon brings together masses of fans and wrestlers past and present, EVOLVE teams up with partners to perform the WWN Supershow, and this year we have the British PROGRESS Wrestling staking their claim. Not only is it a nice bonus for their pre-existing fans, those who might have otherwise overlooked them can get a taste on their trip, allowing these smaller companies to grow. Though I'm no economist, I would imagine that profits for those feds putting on shows, and wrestling in general, makes some nice profits.
In all, WrestleMania marks the high spot for pro wrestling, for fans, workers and companies alike. Wrestling for a brief glimmer become relevant in culture once more. I know my friends who know little of my love are aware, ask about it and show interest. For me, there are 3 main high points of my year; birthday, Christmas, WrestleMania. The days of 'Mania mark a period where I can forget my woes, leave my troubles behind and delve into my passion. As we speak, I have an essay to write, studying to do for exams and some bumps in the road that is life. But my spirits are high. I'm gonna get to indulge in my fandom of wrestling history at the Hall of Fame, TakeOver and all the indies will show me the variety and quality wrestling can produce, RAW and SmackDown! will clue me in on the future, and 'Mania itself will provide me with an experience of the pinnacle of pro wrestling. It doesn't get much better than this.
That just about wraps up this edition of 'Wrestlintroduction', I hope those of you who might have been in the dark about WrestleMania are in brighter sights. If you have any requests or ideas for what aspect of pro wrestling you'd like to be discussed in this series, please do let me know, free of charge. Until next time, I've been Noah, have a good day, have a great 'Mania.
WrestleMania is WWE's biggest show of the year, in theory, designed to showcase the company's best talent, with pageantry and spectacle turned up to fucking 99,000. Drawing some of their biggest crowds and highest broadcast numbers, WrestleMania, in terms of grandeur is second to none. Starting in 1985 in Madison Square Garden with an attendance of 19,000, to the 32nd 'Mania reporting a crowd of over 100,000 in the AT&T Stadium, WrestleMania has grown into a beast, with a few snags in the progression here and there. Throughout the years, WrestleMania has provided a stage for some of the biggest names in wrestling history; Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and more.
A big part of WrestleMania is what have come to be known as 'WrestleMania Moments', ranging from unbelievable spots in a match, monumental surprises, or just the sheer joy created from a win. Possibly the most iconic of these comes from the third 'Mania, where the immortal Hulk Hogan harnessed the power of Hulkamania to slam the colossal Andre the Giant;
However, in my living memory, the one that stands out most to me comes from 2014, at the 30th WrestleMania
A big part of WrestleMania that I mentioned was the pageantry. Those lucky few given a big spot on The Grandest Stage tend to get some big money thrown at their entrances, particularly in the last decade or so. This could be anything from some especially jazzy gear and clothing, props, extras, or like how at WrestleMania 31 Rusev rode in on a fucking tank.
In theory, WrestleMania lays witness to some of the biggest matches in the calendar year, WWE or otherwise. Behemoth clashes the likes of Rock/Austin, The Undertaker's legendary streak, and absolute classics have taken place at 'Manias. Luckily WWE's YouTube have been uploading some old 'Mania matches, and one such was the show-stealer of WrestleMania XIX that was Chris Jericho versus Shawn Michaels.
Another thing that has become tradition around this time of year is that before the main event, there is the annual WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony, each year honouring the elite of the wrestling business. We get to see some of WWE's best achieve the highest honour they can, with some heartwarming/heartbreaking/touching speeches that have made me misty-eyed year after year.
Also, WWE's developmental brand, NXT, has begun to hold a TakeOver the same week as WrestleMania in the area. Last year in Dallas, we saw the barnburner of Sami Zayn taking on the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura, plus the first WWE appearance of Bobby Roode, and all round, in my opinion, producing a show that was of better quality than WrestleMania 32.
Another event that is a key part of this whole deal would be the RAW (and SmackDown! this year) after 'Mania. Said to be the best episode of the year, and I would agree. It's a night of 'Mania fallout where we get to see what's coming in the next year in the form of debuts, shifts in rankings and positions, and surprises out the wazoo. The crowd is the hottest of any episode, with the international crowd still hanging around and being hands down the most vocal and passionate of the year. The reactions make everything that more memorable. Speaking of such things, here are two of the best moments in recent years that never fail to give me goosebumps. First, Dolph Ziggler cashes in;
Fucking thunderous. The other I wanted to include was following WrestleMania 28 when John Cena called for his previous night's opponent, The Rock, but instead, encountered a returning beast;
An note that I think is important in the grand scheme of things. WrestleMania isn't just beneficial to WWE, it is to wrestling as a whole. The past decade or so, a whole host of independent companies and the like descend upon 'Mania's host city and put on their own shows, drawing in big crowds of those in the area for WWE, creating a Mecca of professional wrestling. Ring of Honour puts on their 'Supercard of Honour', WrestleCon brings together masses of fans and wrestlers past and present, EVOLVE teams up with partners to perform the WWN Supershow, and this year we have the British PROGRESS Wrestling staking their claim. Not only is it a nice bonus for their pre-existing fans, those who might have otherwise overlooked them can get a taste on their trip, allowing these smaller companies to grow. Though I'm no economist, I would imagine that profits for those feds putting on shows, and wrestling in general, makes some nice profits.
In all, WrestleMania marks the high spot for pro wrestling, for fans, workers and companies alike. Wrestling for a brief glimmer become relevant in culture once more. I know my friends who know little of my love are aware, ask about it and show interest. For me, there are 3 main high points of my year; birthday, Christmas, WrestleMania. The days of 'Mania mark a period where I can forget my woes, leave my troubles behind and delve into my passion. As we speak, I have an essay to write, studying to do for exams and some bumps in the road that is life. But my spirits are high. I'm gonna get to indulge in my fandom of wrestling history at the Hall of Fame, TakeOver and all the indies will show me the variety and quality wrestling can produce, RAW and SmackDown! will clue me in on the future, and 'Mania itself will provide me with an experience of the pinnacle of pro wrestling. It doesn't get much better than this.
That just about wraps up this edition of 'Wrestlintroduction', I hope those of you who might have been in the dark about WrestleMania are in brighter sights. If you have any requests or ideas for what aspect of pro wrestling you'd like to be discussed in this series, please do let me know, free of charge. Until next time, I've been Noah, have a good day, have a great 'Mania.
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