WWF / WWE WrestleMania Results
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura on commentary; included Gene Okerlund singing the National Anthem; Tommy Dreamer and Nunzio were both in attendance; featured Lord Alfred Hayes introducing the matches from backstage; included pre-taped backstage interviews by Okerlund with both Tito Santana and the Executioner, said to be undefeated, regarding their match on the card; featured Okerlund conducting pre-taped interviews with SD Jones and King Kong Bundy, with Jimmy Hart, regarding their match later in the show; included Okerlund conducting pre-taped backstage interviews with Matt Borne and Ricky Steamboat regarding their match later in the show; featured Okerlund conducting pre-taped backstage interviews with David & Bruno Sammartino and Brutus Beefcake & Johnny V regarding their match later in the show; featured Okerlund conducting pre-taped backstage interviews with WWF IC Champion Greg Valentine, with Hart, and the Junkyard Dog regarding their match later in the show; included Okerlund conducting pre-taped backstage interviews with Nikolai Volkoff & the Iron Sheik, with Freddie Blassie, and WWF Tag Team Champions Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo, with Capt. Lou Albano, regarding their match later in the show; featured Okerlund conducting backstage interviews with Big John Studd, with Bobby Heenan, about his bodyslam match later in the show against Andre the Giant; included Okerlund conducting backstage interviews with Cyndi Lauper and Wendi Richter and WWF Women’s Champion Leilani Kai and the Fabulous Moolah regarding the women’s title match later in the show:
Tito Santana defeated the Executioner (Buddy Rose) via submission with the figure-4 at 4:49 after the flying forearm (Rose’s last appearance for 5 years)
King Kong Bundy (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned SD Jones at the 24-second mark with the Avalanche and a splash; the announced time of the match was 9 seconds (Grand Slams)
Ricky Steamboat pinned Matt Borne with the crossbody off the top at 4:38
David Sammartino (w/ Bruno Sammartino) fought Brutus Beefcake (w/ Johnny V) to a double disqualification at 11:44 when Johnny slammed David on the floor, with Bruno then chasing Johnny into the ring and all four men then brawling until Johnny and Beefcake were cleared from the ring (Best of the WWF Vol. 3)
The Junkyard Dog defeated WWF IC Champion Greg Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart) via count-out at 6:55; Valentine originally won the match with both feet on the ropes for leverage at 6:00 but Tito Santana came out and told referee Dick Kroll what happened, with Kroll then continuing the match after Valentine had left the ring, with Valentine refusing to get back inside (Legends of Wrestling Collection, Legends of Wrestling: Jerry Lawler and the Junkyard Dog)
Prime Time Wrestling – 4/17/85: Nikolai Volkoff & the Iron Sheik (w/ Freddie Blassie) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Mike Rotundo & Barry Windham (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) to win the titles at 6:56 when Volkoff pinned Windham after Sheik hit Windham in the back with Blassie’s cane; after the bout, Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Blassie and the new champions (Tag Team Champions, Legends of Wrestling: Andre the Giant and the Iron Sheik, Allied Powers)
Andre the Giant defeated Big John Studd (w/ Bobby Heenan) in a bodyslam match at 5:53; pre-match stipulations stated Andre would win $15,000 if he was able to slam Studd and would retire if he couldn’t do it within the time-limit; after the bout, Andre began throwing the money into the crowd until Heenan grabbed the money bag and ran backstage; moments later, Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Andre regarding his win (Andre the Giant VHS, Andre the Giant DVD)
Prime Time Wrestling 5/1/85: Wendi Richter (w/ Cyndi Lauper) pinned WWF Women’s Champion Leilani Kai (w/ the Fabulous Moolah) to win the title at 6:14 when the momentum of a crossbody off the top by Kai put Richter on top for the win; after the bout, Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Richter and Lauper, with David Wolfe (Amazing Managers)
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (w/ Jimmy Snuka) defeated Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (w/ Bob Orton Jr.) at 13:33 when Hogan pinned Orndorff after Orton accidentally knocked Orndorff out with a double axe handle off the top, using his arm cast, while refereee Pat Patterson was distracted; Billy Martin served as guest ring announcer for the match; prior to the bout, guest timekeeper Liberace danced in the ring with the Rockettes; Muhammed Ali served as the outside official while Patterson was the referee inside; former boxer Jose Torres was shown in the crowd during the introductions; Piper’s team was escorted to the ring by a bagpipe band performing “Scotland the Brave;” after the bout, Piper and Orton left ringside, leaving Orndorff to be helped to his feet by Mr. T; a dazed Orndorff faced off with Hogan and T before eventually leaving the ring himself; moments later, Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Hogan, T, and Snuka; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year (Grudge Matches, Best of the WWF: WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology, Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story, The True Story of WrestleMania)
Featured an opening in-ring introduction in Long Island by Vince McMahon of guest co-host Susan St. James and Ray Charles, who performed “America the Beautiful;” included Gene Okerlund, from Chicago, hyping that card before showing a pre-taped backstage promo by Roddy Piper, with Lou Duva and Bob Orton Jr., regarding his boxing fight later in the night against Mr. T; during the promo, Piper claimed he would quit wrestling if T could knock him out; featured a pre-taped promo by Mr. T, with Joe Frazier & the Haiti Kid, regarding his upcoming fight with Piper; included Okerlund conducting a podium interview with Bill Fralic and Big John Studd in Chicago regarding the upcoming 20-man battle royal, during which Studd crushed a football in his hands and threw it at Fralic; featured a video package highlighting the T / Piper feud; included Jesse Ventura conducting a backstage interview with WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan in Los Angeles regarding his title defense later in the night against King Kong Bundy and his thoughts on the Piper / T fight, with Hogan predicting T would win; featured Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, & Katie Lee Crosby on commentary in Chicago, with Chet Coppock as the guest ring announcer for that portion of the show; included McMahon & St. James speaking at the commentary position with Piper regarding the results of his boxing fight, during which Piper said he dominated T; featured Okerlund conducting a podium interview with Jimbo Covert regarding his participation in the battle royal, with Covert claiming Bill Fralic cheated to throw him out; moments later, Okerlund spoke with the Iron Sheik about the battle royal as well; included McMahon & St. James discussing the Hogan / Bundy cage match before the Los Angeles portion; featured Ventura, Lord Alfred Hayes, & Elvira on commentary in Los Angeles; Lee Marshall was the ring announcer in LA; included Hayes conducting a backstage interview with Hogan regarding his upcoming title defense; it was announced that the cage for the main event was specially reinforced; featured pre-taped footage of Okerlund covering Hogan’s workout, alongside Hillbilly Jim and Dr. Bob Ponovich, before introducing footage of Bundy attacking Hogan during the previous Saturday Night’s Main Event; moments later, Okerlund interviewed the three about Hogan’s injury yet still agreeing to go through with the match; included Ventura conducting a backstage interview with Bundy & Bobby Heenan regarding the upcoming main event; featured McMahon & St. James commenting on the upcoming main event:
Long Island, NY – Nassau Coliseum (16,585; sell out)
Paul Orndorff fought Don Muraco (w/ Mr. Fuji) to a double count-out at 4:33 when both men began brawling on the floor and Orndorff threw Muraco into the ringpost; during the early moments of the match, pre-taped audio promos from Orndorff and Muraco aired regarding their match; the crowd chanted “Bullshit” following the decision
WWF IC Champion Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizebeth) pinned George Steele at 7:08 with both feet on the ropes for leverage; prior to the bout, an insert promo from Savage aired regarding the match; late in the contest, Steele kicked out of Savage’s flying elbowsmash; after the bout, Steele chased the referee backstage
Jake Roberts pinned George Wells with the DDT at at 3:06 following a kneelift as Wells attempted to climb back into the ring; after the match, Roberts wrapped a python around Wells’ head, causing Wells to vomit
Mr. T (w/ Joe Frazier & the Haiti Kid) defeated Roddy Piper (w/ Lou Duva & Bob Orton Jr.) in a boxing fight via disqualification at 1:17 of Round 4 when Piper shoved the referee to the mat and bodyslammed T; Joan Rivers served as the guest ring announcer for the bout; judges for the fight included G. Gordon Liddy, Darryl Dawkins, and Cab Calloway; each was booed upon their introduction; Herb, from the Burger King advertising campaign, served as the guest timekeeper; after the match, the two men were held back by their respective parties, with the crowd booing upon hearing the decision (Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story)
Chicago, IL – Rosemont Horizon (9,000)
WWF Women’s Champion the Fabulous Moolah pinned Velvet McIntyre after the challenger missed a splash off the middle turnbuckle at the 59-second mark
Crpl. Kirshner pinned Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Freddie Blassie) in a flag match at 1:36 after intercepting Blassie’s cane as it was thrown in the ring and hitting Volkoff with it; pre-match stipulations stated the winner would wave the flag of their country after the bout
Andre the Giant won a 20-man WWF/NFL battle royal by last eliminating Bret Hart at 9:03; other participants included: Ted Arcidi, Tony Atlas, B. Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell, Hillbilly Jim, the Iron Sheik, King Tonga, Pedro Morales, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Big John Studd, Jimbo Covert, Bill Fralic, Russ Francis, Ernie Holmes, Harvey Martin, & William Perry; order of elimination: Covert & Tonga by Fralic (0:53); Holmes by Sammartino (1:41); Brunzell by Neidhart (2:30); Atlas by Perry (2:53); Martin & Morales eliminated each other (3:45); Arcidi by Hillbilly & Spivey (4:15); Spivey by the Sheik (4:31); Jim & Blair by the Sheik (4:40); Fralic by Sheik & Studd (5:07); Sheik by Sammartino (5:17); Sammartino by Studd (5:46); Perry by Studd via an elbow to the face and hiplock (6:24); Studd by Perry from the outside after offering to shake Studd’s hand but pulling him out instead (6:45); Francis by Hart & Neidhart (7:45); Neidhart by Andre after a boot to the face (8:52); Hart by Andre by throwing him off the top onto Neidhart on the floor; Gene Okerlund did the ring introductions for the bout; Ernie Ladd provided guest commentary, subbing for Okerlund; Dick Butkus and Ed Jones were the guest referees for the bout; Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” personality Clare Peller was the guest timekeeper (WrestleMania: The Greatest Hits, Best of the WWF: WrestleMania)
Davey Boy Smith & the Dynamite Kid (w/ Capt. Lou Albano & Ozzy Osbourne) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake (w/ Johnny V) to win the titles at 12:03 when Smith pinned Valentine after sending him into Dynamite in the corner, with the two men butting heads and Dynamite falling to the floor and busting his head open; there were two referees for the bout, one on the inside and one on the outside; after the contest, Gene Okerlund conducted an in-ring interview with Albano, Osbourne, Katie Lee Crosby, and Smith regarding the title win (The British Bulldogs)
Los Angeles, CA – Sports Arena (14,500)
Ricky Steamboat pinned Hercules with a crossbody off the top at 7:34 after lifting his knees to block Hercules’ splash from the middle turnbuckle
Adrian Adonis (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned Uncle Elmer with a headbutt off the top after avoiding Elmer’s legdrop at 3:04
Terry & Dory Funk Jr. (w/ Jimmy Hart) defeated Tito Santana & the Junkyard Dog at 11:43 when Terry pinned JYD after hitting him in the head with Hart’s megaphone behind the referee’s back
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy (w/ Bobby Heenan) in a steel cage match at 10:18 by escaping over the top after kicking Bundy from the cage to the mat; after the match, Hogan chased Heenan inside the cage, threw him into the cage bars, and hit an atomic drop which sent Heenan out the door; Tommy LaSorda was the guest ring announcer for the bout; Robert Conrad was the guest referee; Ricky Schroder was the guest timekeeper (the debut of the blue bar steel cage) (Inside the Steele Cage, Hulkamania 6, WrestleMania: The Greatest Hits, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured an opening in-ring introduction by Vince McMahon; included Aretha Franklin performing “America the Beautiful;” featured Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura on commentary, Bob Ueker and Mary Hart briefly joining the commentary team before the opening match; included a video package highlighting the feud between Billy Jack Hayes and Hercules; featured Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Hercules & Bobby Heenan regarding his match later in the show; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with King Kong Bundy, alongside Lord Littlebrook & Little Tokyo, regarding the mixed tag team match later in the show; included Mary Hart conducting a backstage interview with Miss Elizabeth, with WWF IC Champion Randy Savage then appearing and cutting a promo on facing Ricky Steamboat later in the show; featured a video package highlighting the feud between the Junkyard Dog and Harley Race; included a pre-taped backstage interview by Okerlund with Race, Heenan, & WWF Women’s Champion the Fabulous Moolah regarding Race’s upcoming match against JYD; featured McMahon conducting a backstage interview with WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan regarding his upcoming match with Andre the Giant; included a pre-taped backstage interview by Okerlund with Johnny V, Dino Bravo, Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine over why Beefcake & Valentine needed Bravo in their corner for their upcoming match with Jacques & Raymond Rougeau; featured a video package highlighting the feud between Roddy Piper and Adrian Adoins, followed by a pre-taped promo by Piper; included a pre-taped backstage interview by Okerlund of Adonis and Jimmy Hart regarding Adonis’ upcoming match with Piper; featured a pre-taped backstage interview by Okerlund of Hart, Danny Davis, and WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart regarding their upcoming match; included a pre-taped backstage interview by Okerlund of Andre and Heenan regarding Andre’s upcoming match with Hogan; featured a video package highlighting the Savage / Steamboat feud; included a pre-taped backstage interview by Okerlund of Jake Roberts and Alice Cooper regarding Roberts’ upcoming match against the Honkytonk Man; featured Okerlund making an in-ring announcement that 93,173 fans were in attendance, marking a indoor attendance world record; included Okerlund conducting a second backstage interview with Andre and Heenan regarding facing Hogan in a matter of moments; featured a video package highlighting the feud between Hogan and Andre; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Hogan regarding his upcoming title defense; a young Rob Van Dam was in attendance for the event
Rick Martel & Tom Zenk defeated Don Muraco & Bob Orton Jr. (w/ Mr. Fuji) at 5:37 when Martel pinned Muraco with a crossbody / school boy roll up double team
Billy Jack Haynes fought Hercules (w/ Bobby Heenan) to a double count-out at 7:52 when both men fell through the ropes and Haynes applied the full nelson on his opponent on the floor; after the match, Hercules wrapped his steel chain around his fist and hit Haynes with it as Haynes attempted to get at Heenan; moments later, Hercules used the chain twice more, causing Haynes to bleed from the forehead, and briefly applied the full nelson
Hillbilly Jim, the Haiti Kid, & Little Beaver defeated King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook, & Little Tokyo via disqualification in a mixed tag team match when Bundy hit an elbow drop on Little Beaver; after the match, all the remaining midgets and Jim made the save; Bob Ueker did guest commentary for the bout
King Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan & WWF Women’s Champion the Fabulous Moolah) pinned the Junkyard Dog at 3:23 with a belly to belly suplex after JYD was distracted by Heenan on the apron; due to prematch stipulations, JYD had to bow before Race – which he did before hitting Race with a chair and stealing the robe and crown (WWE Hall of Fame 2004, Legends of Wrestling)
Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake (w/ Johnny V & Dino Bravo) defeated Jacques & Raymond Rougeau at 4:03 when Valentine pinned Raymond after Bravo came off the top, moments after the Rougeaus hit their double team finisher; during the bout, Bobby Heenan joined the commentary team to brag about his men being 2 for 2 and ignoring the fact King Kong Bundy lost his bout; after the match, Valentine, Johnny V, and Bravo abandoned Beefcake in the ring after Beefcake argued over Bravo’s interference
Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis (w/ Jimmy Hart) via submission with the sleeper at 6:13 in a Hair vs. Hair match after Brutus Beefcake revived Piper from Adonis’ sleeper and Adonis accidentally hit himself in the head with his own clippers; after the match, Piper held Hart down as Beefcake cut Adonis’ hair; when Adonis came to, Piper held a mirror in front of him which resulted in Adonis going crazy, hitting the mirror, and chasing Piper until Adonis eventually fell down and was led away by Hart; moments later, a fan came in the ring but was led away by officials; Piper was congratulated by Blackjack Lanza, Pat Patterson, and Arnold Skaaland on the floor as this was deemed his farewell match (Piper’s last appearance for 2 years) (Crunch Classic, Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story, Legends of Wrestling: Roddy Piper and Terry Funk)
Danny Davis, WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (w/ Jimmy Hart) defeated Tito Santana, Davey Boy Smith, & the Dynamite Kid at 8:50 when Davis pinned Smith after hitting him with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, moments after Davis sustained a tombstone and the running powerslam from Smith; prior to the bout beginning, Jesse Ventura was introduced to the crowd by Howard Finkel before shaking hands with the heel team and taking Matilda the bulldog backstage; Mary Hart and Ueker did guest commentary for the match (Davis’ in-ring debut) (The Hart Foundation)
Butch Reed (w/ Slick) pinned Koko B. Ware at 3:38 by using the tights for leverage after a crossbody by Koko put Reed on top; after the match, Tito Santana made the save for Koko and attacked Slick, ripping his shirt completely off; moments later, Koko and Santana sent Reed to the ring with a double dropkick
Ricky Steamboat (w/ George Steele) pinned WWF IC Champion Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) to win the title at 14:35 with an inside cradle after Steele pushed Savage off the top as Savage prepared to come off the top and hit the challenger with the time keeper’s bell (voted Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated) (History of the Intercontinental Championship, Macho Madness: The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection, Ricky Steamboat: The Life of the Dragon, The True Story of WrestleMania)
The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned Jake Roberts (w/ Alice Cooper) at 7:04 with a roll up and holding onto the ropes for leverage after Hart prevented Roberts’ attempt at the DDT by grabbing his leg; after the match, Honky briefly left ringside after Roberts almost smashed the guitar over his head, breaking it against the ringpost; moments later, Roberts grabbed Hart, allowing Alice to torture Hart with Damien the snake until Hart ran backstage with Honky (Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Jake “The Snake” Roberts: Pick Your Poison)
Nikolai Volkoff & the Iron Sheik (w/ Slick) defeated B. Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell via disqualification at 5:43 when Jim Duggan chased Volkoff into the ring, eventually hitting Sheik in the back with his 2×4 as Sheik had Brunzell trapped in the Camel Clutch; prior to the Killer Bees’ entrance, Duggan ran to the ring and interrupted Volkoff’s singing of the Russian National Anthem, eventually cutting a promo that he would not allow Volkoff to sing that; Duggan remained ringside for the duration of the match
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan pinned Andre the Giant (w/ Bobby Heenan) with a bodyslam and the legdrop at 12:07; Bob Ueker was the guest ring announcer and Mary Hart was the guest time keeper; after the match, Hogan was presented with a new heavyweight title belt (WrestleMania: The Greatest Matches 94, WWF Strong Men, Hulk Still Rules, Hulkamania 3, Hulkamania 4, WWF Champion Hulk Hogan’s Greatest Matches, Best of Hulkamania, The Best of the WWF: Hulkamania, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology, The True Story of WrestleMania, History of WWE)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured an opening in-ring introduction by Gene Okerlund, who then introduced Gladys Knight to perform “America the Beautiful;” included Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura on commentary; featured Robin Leach reading a proclimation in the ring to begin the WWF World Title Tournament; included Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Brutus Beefcake regarding his match later in the show against WWF IC Champion the Honkytonk Man; featured Bob Ueker conducting a backstage interview with the Honkytonk Man & Jimmy Hart regarding Honky’s match later in the show against Beefcake; Donald and Ivana Trump sat ringside for the show; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with the Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, & Koko B. Ware, with Matilda, regarding their match later in the show; a young Chris Kanyon, Brian Heffron (Blue Meanie), and Lance Storm were in attendance for the show; featured Ueker conducting a backstage interview with Bobby Heenan & the Islanders regarding their match later in the show; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Hulk Hogan regarding his match later in the show against Andre the Giant; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Vanna White, beside the tournament bracketing, regarding the upcoming quarter finals; Sugar Ray Lenoard was shown in attendance; included a video package highlighting the Hogan / Andre & Ted Dibiase feud, dating back more than a year; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth regarding the outcome of the Hogan / Andre match and his upcoming match against Greg Valentine; included Ueker conducting a backstage interview with Mr. Fuji & Demolition regarding their tag team title match later in the show; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Vanna; included Ueker conducting a backstage interview with Andre regarding his match with Hogan, with Andre briefly choking Ueker; featured Howard Finkel introducing Ventura, with Ventura then posing near the commentary position; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Vanna regarding the upcoming final round, with Vanna leaving for ringside just before Ueker arrived looking for her:
Bad News Brown won a 20-man battle royal by last eliminating Bret Hart at 9:48 after he and Hart joined in eliminating the Junkyard Dog; participants included: Sam Houston, Ken Patera, B. Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell, Jacques & Raymond Rougeau, Paul Roma & Jim Powers, Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov, Hillbilly Jim, the Junk Yard Dog, Danny Davis, King Harley Race, Jim Neidhart, Sika, Ron Bass & George Steele; order of elimination: Houston by Davis via backdrop after Bass whipped Houston into Davis (0:43); Sika by JYD, Blair, Hillbilly & Volkoff (0:55); Neidhart by Steele via pulling him over the top by his goatee (2:29); Blair by Jacques & Bad News while Blair was on the apron (2:48); Raymond by Brunzell (3:12); Brunzell by Jacques (3:13); Bass by JYD (3:41); Hillbilly by Zhukov (4:26); Steele, though never officially in the match, left ringside; Davis by Roma via a fireman’s carry (4:47); Powers by Bad News (4:51); Volkoff by Patera (5:41); Patera by Bad News & Nikolai, from the floor (5:50); Zhukov by Patera (5:51); Jacques by Race via a backdrop (6:00); Race by JYD via a backdrop (6:10); Roma by Bad News (6:23); JYD by Bret & Bad News (8:39); Bret by Bad News; Bob Ueker provided guest commentary for the contest; after the bout, Hart slid back inside the ring as Bad News celebrated with the winner’s trophy, knocked Bad News to the floor, and smashed the trophy to pieces
WWF World Championship Tournament opening round: Ted Dibiase (w/ Andre the Giant & Virgil) pinned Jim Duggan at 5:02 with a knee to the back after Andre tripped Duggan as he attempted the running clothesline; after the bout, Duggan cleared the ring with his 2×4
WWF World Championship Tournament opening round: Don Muraco (w/ Superstar Billy Graham) defeated Dino Bravo (w/ Frenchy Martin) via disqualification at 4:54 after Bravo pulled the referee in front of Muraco; Bravo thought he had won since the dazed referee tapped him three times after Bravo dropped Muraco with the side suplex and made the cover
WWF World Championship Tournament opening round: Greg Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned Ricky Steamboat at 9:11 when the momentum of a crossbody off the top put Valentine on top for the win; prior to the bout, Steamboat came ringside with his baby boy, with his wife then taking the baby backstage before the match began (Steamboat’s last appearance for 3 years)
WWF World Championship Tournament opening round: Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) pinned Butch Reed (w/ Slick) at 4:09 with the flying elbowsmash after throwing Reed off the top
WWF World Championship Tournament opening round: The One Man Gang (w/ Slick) defeated Bam Bam Bigelow (w/ Oliver Humperdink) via count-out at 2:55 as Bigelow battled with Gang on the apron after Slick pulled down the top rope, causing Bigelow to fall to the floor
WWF World Championship Tournament opening round: Jake Roberts fought Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan) to a 15-minute time-limit draw at 15:15; after the bout, Roberts cleared Rude from the ring with Damien (the debut of Rude’s air-brushed tights)
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Hercules (w/ Bobby Heenan) at 4:36 by lifting his shoulder out of a back suplex into a bridge; after the match, Hercules attacked Warrior with his steel chain until Warrior stole it away from him and cleared the ring
WWF World Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Hulk Hogan fought Andre the Giant (w/ Ted Dibiase & Virgil) to a double disqualification at 5:23 when Hogan stole a steel chair away from Dibiase after Dibiase hit him with it, with Hogan and Andre then hitting each other with the chair; after the bout, Hogan knocked Andre down with the chair then chased Dibiase and Virgil up the aisle, with Hogan then dropping Virgil with a suplex in the aisle after Dibiase retreated backstage; moments later, Hogan returned to the ring and dropped Andre with a bodyslam (Hulkamania 3)
WWF World Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Ted Dibiase pinned Don Muraco (w/ Superstar Billy Graham) at 5:35 after dropping him throat-first across the top rope
WWF World Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) pinned Greg Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart) at 6:07 with an inside cradle as Valentine attempted the figure-4
Brutus Beefcake defeated WWF IC Champion the Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart & Peggy Sue – WWF Women’s Champion Sensational Sherri) via disqualification at around 6:50 when Hart knocked out the referee with the megaphone as the champion was locked in the sleeper; moments later, Beefcake cut Hart’s hair and attempted to do the same to the champion until Peggy Sue poured water on Honky to revive him
The Islanders & Bobby Heenan defeated Koko B. Ware, Davey Boy Smith, & the Dynamite Kid at 7:35 when Heenan pinned Koko after being slammed on him by his teammates; Heenan wore a dog handler suit for the bout; after the contest, Smith chased Heenan up the aisle with Matilda the bulldog, with Dynamite and Koko eventually helping chase Heenan backstage
WWF World Championship Tournament Semi Finals: Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) defeated One Man Gang (w/ Slick) via disqualification at 4:35 when the Gang grabbed Slick’s cane and attempted to hit Savage with it; after the bout, OMG used the cane as a weapon but Savage cleared the ring moments later
Demolition (w/ Mr. Fuji) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Rick Martel & Tito Santana at 8:02 to win the titles when Smash pinned Martel after Ax hit Martel over the back of the head with Fuji’s cane behind the referee’s back as Smash was caught in the Boston Crab (Allied Powers)
WWF World Championship Tournament Finals: Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) pinned Ted Dibiase (w/ Andre the Giant) with the flying elbowsmash to win the title at 9:17 after Hulk Hogan interfered and hit Dibiase in the back with a chair as Savage was caught in the Million $ Dream; late in the bout, after interference from Andre, Elizabeth left ringside and later returned with Hogan; Bob Uecker was the guest ring announcer for the match, Vanna White was the guest timekeeper, and Robin Leach was the presenter for the world championship belt (Macho Madness, Hulkamania 3, WrestleMania: The Greatest Hits, Best of the WWF: WrestleMania, Macho Madness: The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura on commentary; included WWF Women’s Champion Rockin Robin performing “America the Beautiful;” Donald Trump sat ringside for the event; featured Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty regarding their upcoming match against the Big Bossman & Akeem; included a pre-taped segment in which Tony Schiavone conducted a backstage interview with Ted Dibiase, with Virgil, regarding his match later in the show against Brutus Beefcake; featured pre-taped footage from the WrestleMania brunch of Lord Alfred Hayes conducting an interview with the Bushwhackers, while they ate, regarding their upcoming match against Jacques & Raymond Rougeau; included Howard Finkel giving Ventura a special introduction at the commentary table; featured pre-taped footage from the previous morning’s 5k run with Hayes conducting an interview with Mr. Fuji, one of the participants, about his speed in the race; included Run DMC performing an in-ring “WrestleMania Rap;” featured a video package highlighting the feud between WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition and the Powers of Pain; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Demolition regarding their upcoming title defense; featured Schiavone attempting to conducting a backstage interview with WWF World Champion Randy Savage, with Schiavone trying to get in Savage’s locker room until Savage knocked down the cameraman and ran down the hallway; included Finkel introducing Roddy Piper for an in-ring Piper’s Pit, with Brother Love then appearing dressed as Piper and pretending to interview Piper, doing his own impersonation of Piper; moments later, Morton Downey Jr., scheduled as Piper’s guest, appeared and insulted Love until the real Piper was introduced; Piper then spoke with Love, mentioning his “kilt,” before eventually taking the kilt off to reveal his underwear, with Love then running backstage; Piper then turned his attention to Downey, with the two insulting the other as Downey repeatedly blew smoke in Piper’s face; Piper eventually asked for his own cigarette, then doused Downey with a fire extinguisher when he turned back around; Piper then left ringside, with Downey close behind but held back by officials (Piper’s return after a 2-year absence); featured a backstage segment where Okerlund announced Hogan would appear this spring in “No Holds Barred,” and then showed a trailer for the film; included Mooney conducting an interview with Trump in the arena; following the airing of the movie trailer, Ventura cut a promo on Hogan, claiming Hollywood was his domain, before briefly leaving the announce position; featured a video package highlighting the feud between Hogan and Savage over the past year; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Hogan regarding his upcoming title match; featured Schiavone conducting a backstage interview with Sensational Sherri, during which Sherri cut a promo on Robin and Miss Elizabeth; included a video package highlighting the feud between WWF IC Champion the Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with the Red Rooster regarding his upcoming match with Bobby Heenan; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Miss Elizabeth regarding the upcoming match between Hogan and Savage, during which she said she would be in a neutral corner for the contest; featured Schiavone backstage in which he said all the wrestlers had left the backstage area to watch the main event; included Mooney in the crowd polling fans over who they thought would win the main event; a young Lance Storm and Chris Kanyon were in attendance for the event:
Hercules pinned King Haku (w/ Bobby Heenan) at 6:53 with a back suplex into a bridge after avoiding a punch; during the ring introduction, Howard Finkel accidentally referred to Haku as King Tonga
The Big Bossman & Akeem (w/ Slick) defeated Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty at 8:05 when Akeem pinned Michaels with a splash after Bossman caught Michaels coming off the top and hit a powerbomb
Brutus Beefcake fought Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil) to a double count-out at 10:00; prior to the bout, Dibiase and Virgil shook hands with Donald Trump at ringside; after the match, Beefcake put Virgil in the sleeper and fought off Dibiase but both men were able to escape the ring before Beefcake could use his cutting shears
The Bushwhackers defeated Jacques & Raymond Rougeau (w/ Jimmy Hart) at 5:11 when Luke pinned Raymond following the battering ram and a double gutbuster behind the referee’s back; after the bout, Sean Mooney attempted to interview fans near the aisle when the Bushwhackers came up behind him and licked his face
Mr. Perfect pinned the Blue Blazer with a forearm blow and the Perfect Plex at 5:49 (Perfect’s debut wearing a singlet)
WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition defeated the Powers of Pain & Mr. Fuji in a handicap match at 8:55 when Ax pinned Fuji following the Decapitation after Fuji accidentally threw salt into Warlord’s face (Demolition, Wrestling Superheroes)
Dino Bravo (w/ Frenchy Martin) pinned Ron Garvin at 4:00 with an inverted atomic drop and the side suplex; prior to the match, Howard Finkel introduced Jimmy Snuka, with Snuka then appearing, coming into the ring, posing for the fans, and then leaving; after the match, Garvin knocked Bravo to the floor, attacked Martin, and executed the Garvin Stomp (Snuka’s first TV appearance after a 4-year absence)
Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (w/ Bobby Heenan) defeated Tito Santana & Rick Martel at 9:17 when Anderson pinned Santana following the spike piledriver; late in the bout, Martel walked out on his partner after Santana accidentally hit him with the flying forearm; after the contest, Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Martel regarding his actions, with Martel claiming he was sick of Santana wanting to ride his coat tails (Santana & Martel’s first match as a team in 10 months)
Jake Roberts defeated Andre the Giant (w/ Bobby Heenan) via disqualification at 9:39 when Andre attacked guest referee Big John Studd and repeatedly headbutted him as Roberts chased Ted Dibiase and Virgil in the aisle after Dibiase attempted to steal Damien from ringside; after the bout, Roberts slid Damien in the ring, scaring Andre from ringside; moments later, Mooney conducted an interview with a Roberts fan in the crowd (Best of the WWF: WrestleMania)
Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated the Honkytonk Man & Greg Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart) at 7:40 when Hart pinned Honky after hitting him with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, thrown in the ring by Neidhart (Hart & Neidhart’s last appearance as a team for 6 weeks; Honky & Valentine’s last appearance as a team for 9 months)
Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan) pinned WWF IC Champion the Ultimate Warrior at 9:42 to win the title as the champion attempted a suplex into the ring, Heenan swept Warrior’s leg out from under him, and held the foot down during the cover; after the bout, Warrior attacked Heenan, dropped him with the gorilla press slam, and chased backstage to find Rude (The Ultimate Warrior)
Jim Duggan fought Bad News Brown to a double disqualification at 3:47 when Bad News grabbed a steel chair, after sustaining Duggan’s running clothesline, and swung at Duggan with it while Duggan swung back with his 2X4
The Red Rooster pinned Bobby Heenan (w/ the Brooklyn Brawler) at the 32-second mark after Heenan hit the ringpost shoulder-first; after the bout, the Brawler attacked the Rooster from behind but the Rooster quickly cleared him from the ring
Hulk Hogan pinned WWF World Champion Randy Savage to win the title at 17:54 with the legdrop; Miss Elizabeth was in a neutral corner for the match until she was eventually sent backstage late in the contest; Savage hit the flying elbowsmash during the closing moments but Hogan kicked out at 2 (WrestleMania’s Greatest Matches Vol. 2, The Best of the WWF: Hulkamania, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology, Macho Madness: The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection)
Paul Roma defeated the Brooklyn Brawler; Shane McMahon was the referee for the bout
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura on commentary; included Robert Goulet performing the Canadian National Anthem to begin the show; each wrestler was driven to and from the ring by a motorized cart; featured Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Bobby Heenan, WWF Tag Team Champions Andre the Giant & Haku regarding their upcoming title defense against Demolition; included Sean Mooney conducting a backstage interview with Demolition regarding their upcoming title match; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Earthquake & Jimmy Hart regarding Quake’s upcoming match against Jim Duggan; included a pre-taped segment in which Rona Barrett interviewed about Miss Elizabeth regarding her absence from the WWF and her plans on returning; featured Mooney conducting a backstage interview with Brutus Beefcake regarding his upcoming match with Mr. Perfect; included a video package highlighting the feud between Roddy Piper and Bad News Brown; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Roddy Piper regarding his upcoming match with Bad News Brown, during which Piper appeared with half his body painted black to portray what he referred to as his own split personality; included Steve Allen in the bathroom with Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov in which Allen repeatedly tried performing the Russian National Anthem on his piano; featured ads for WrestleMania VII to be held March 24, 1991 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Tito Santana regarding his upcoming match with the Barbarian; featured a video package highlighting the feud between Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire and Randy Savage & Sensational Sherri; included Mooney conducting a backstage interview with Rhodes & Sapphire regarding their upcoming match, during which Rhodes alluded to having a “crown jewel” in their corner; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Heenan regarding his altercation earlier in the show with Andre; included Monsoon & Ventura conducting a backstage interview with Barrett in which she alleged to have had X-rated footage of Ventura, with Ventura quickly cutting to Mooney; featured Mooney conducting a backstage interview with Savage & Sherri regarding their loss to Rhodes & Sapphire and the interference of Elizabeth; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition regarding their title win and upcoming challenge of Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart; a young Edge, Lance Storm, and Chris Kanyon were in attendance for the event:
Rick Martel defeated Koko B. Ware via submission with the Boston Crab at 5:30
Demolition defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Andre the Giant & Haku (w/ Bobby Heenan) to win the titles at 9:15 when Ax pinned Haku following the Decapitation after Andre’s arms became entangled in the ring ropes; during the contest, it was mentioned Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart had already challenged the winners to a title match; after the match, Heenan berated Andre for the loss and slapped him before Andre grabbed Heenan by the jacket, slapped, and punched Heenan out of the ring; moments later, Haku attempted to attack Andre but Andre assaulted him and cleared Haku from the ring, with Andre then stealing the team’s motorized cart to leave ringside alone (Andre’s last TV match)
Earthquake (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned Hercules with an elbow drop and the sit-down splash at 4:54; after the match, Earthquake hit a second sit-down splash; moments later, Hercules struggled back to his feet under his own power
Brutus Beefcake pinned Mr. Perfect (w/ the Genius) at 7:47 after a catapult into the ringpost; during the bout, Mary Tyler Moore was shown in attendance; after the match, the Genius attempted to steal Beefcake’s hedge clippers and sneak backstage but Beefcake caught him on the floor, rolled him back in the ring, put him in the sleeper, and then cut the Genius’ hair (Perfect’s first national TV pinfall loss) (WrestleMania’s Greatest Matches Vol. 2)
Roddy Piper fought Bad News Brown to a double count-out at 6:47 when both men began brawling on the floor and Piper attempted to hit News with a steel chair; Piper had half his body painted black for the match; after the contest, both men continued brawling in the aisle all the way backstage, with Pat Patterson, Chief Jay Strongbow, Rene Goulet, and referees trying to break up the fight (Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story)
Prime Time Wrestling – 5/7/90: Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov when Bret pinned Zhukov following the Hart Attack at the 18-second mark
The Barbarian (w/ Bobby Heenan) pinned Tito Santana with a clothesline off the top at 4:33
Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire (w/ Miss Elizabeth) defeated Randy Savage & Sensational Sherri at 7:31 when Sapphire pinned Sherri with a roll up after Elizabeth shoved Sherri as Sherri grabbed at her on the floor; prior to the bout, Rhodes introduced Elizabeth to be in his and Sapphire’s corner; after the bout, Rhodes stole Savage’s sceptor before dancing in the ring with Sapphire and Elizabeth (Miss Elizabeth’s surprise return after a 3-month absence) (the first man-woman tag team match) (American Dream: The Dusty Rhodes Story, Macho Madness: The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection)
The Orient Express (w/ Mr. Fuji) defeated Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty via count-out at 7:36 after Jannetty had salt thrown into his eyes while on the floor
Jim Duggan pinned Dino Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart) at 4:15 after hitting him with the 2×4; after the bout, Earthquake attacked Duggan and hit two sit-down splashes
Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil) defeated Jake Roberts via count-out at 11:53 as Roberts was distracted by Virgil on the floor; after the match, Virgil returned backstage with the Million $ belt while Roberts hit the DDT on Dibiase and passed his money to fans around ringside; prior to the bout, Gene Okerlund conducted a backstage interview with Roberts regarding the match; stipulations stated the winner would earn the Million $ Belt (WrestleMania 26 Collector’s Edition)
The Big Bossman pinned Akeem (w/ Slick) at around 1:50 with the sidewalk slam despite interference from Ted Dibiase before the match; Dibiase hid underneath the ring after the previous match
Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan) pinned Jimmy Snuka at 3:51 with the Rude Awakening; Steve Allen did guest commentary for the match
Prime Time Wrestling – 3/29/92: WWF IC Champion the Ultimate Warrior pinned WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan to win the title at 22:50 with a splash after Hogan missed the legdrop; after the match, Hogan presented Warrior with the world title belt; both championships were on the line in the contest; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year (Hulkamania Forever, The Ultimate Warrior 92, Best of the WWF: Ultimate Warrior, WrestleMania X8, The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology, Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection)
Koko B. Ware pinned the Brooklyn Brawler
Pay-per-view bouts – included Willie Nelson performing the National Anthem to begin the broadcast; featured Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan on commentary, with Jim Duggan dressed as Uncle Sam covering for Heenan for the opening match; included Sean Mooney conducting a backstage interview with Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty regarding their upcoming match against the Barbarian & Haku; featured Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Regis Philbin, Marla Maples, and Alex Trebeck; included Mooney conducting a backstage interview with the Warlord and Slick regarding Warlord’s upcoming match against Davey Boy Smith; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Smith, with Winston, regarding the upcoming match; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart regarding the Nastys’ upcoming match against WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart; featured Mooney conducting a backstage interview with Hart & Neidhart regarding the upcoming title defense; included a video package highlighting the feud between Jake Roberts and Rick Martel; featured a pre-taped promo by Roberts regarding his upcoming blindfold match with Martel; included Maples conducting a backstage interview with the new WWF Tag Team Champions the Nasty Boys in which they celebrated and drank champagne with Jimmy Hart, Earthquake, the Mountie, and Dino Bravo; featured a video package highlighting the feud between the Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage; included Philbin conducting a backstage interview with the Undertaker & Paul Bearer, during which Taker took measurements of Philbin as thought they were preparing a casket for him; featured Trebeck conducting a backstage interview with Mr. Fuji & Demolition; included Philbin conducting a backstage interview with Genichiro Tenryu & Koji Kitao, with neither man answering Philbin’s questions but responding when he said Toyota, Izuzu, and Columbia Pictures; the duo then asked if Katie Lee was around; featured Trebeck conducting a backstage interview with Roberts, with Damien, with Damien eventually scaring Trebeck off; featured a pre-taped debate on instant replay with George Steinbrenner and Paul McGuire, moderated by Vince McMahon; the debate was inspired by Randy Savage costing the Ultimate Warrior the world title at the Royal Rumble; during the segment, the Bushwhackers were portrayed as referees that were tied up in video film while trying to make a call; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with the Big Bossman regarding his upcoming match against WWF IC Champion Mr. Perfect; featured Mooney conducting a backstage interview with Perfect & Heenan regarding Perfect’s title defense against Bossman; included Mooney conducting a backstage interview with the Legion of Doom regarding their upcoming match with Hercules & Paul Roma in which they claimed they should have received the tag team title shot and would go after the Nasty Boys after they were down with Power & Glory; featured a video package highlighting the feud between Virgil and Ted Dibiase; included Mooney conducting a backstage interview with WWF World Champion Sgt. Slaughter and Gen. Adnan about the upcoming title defense against Hulk Hogan, during which Slaughter reviewed his recent altercations with Hogan and teased that he might get himself counted-out or disqualified in order to keep the title; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Hogan regarding his upcoming title match, during which footage was shown of Slaughter & Adnan recently attacking Hogan and taunting him with the title belt; a young Chris Kanyon was in attendance:
Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty defeated the Barbarian & Haku (w/ Bobby Heenan) at 10:33 when Michaels pinned Haku with a crossbody off the top following a missile dropkick by Jannetty; after the bout, Heenan joined Gorilla Monsoon on commentary for the remainder of the show
Kerry Von Erich pinned Dino Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart) at 3:11 with the Tornado Punch after catching Bravo coming off the top and applying the claw
Davey Boy Smith pinned the Warlord (w/ Slick) at 8:14 by powering out of the full nelson, avoiding the Warlord’s running powerslam, and hitting his own running powerslam
The Nasty Boys (w/ Jimmy Hart) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart to win the titles at 12:10 when Knobs pinned Neidhart after Sags hit Neidhart with Jimmy Hart’s motorcyle helmet behind the referee’s back, moments after the champions executed the Hart Attack (WrestleMania’s Greatest Matches Vol. 2, The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, Was, and Ever Will Be)
Jake Roberts pinned Rick Martel at 8:33 in a blindfold match following the DDT; after the bout, Roberts stomped on Martel’s Atomizer before scaring him out of the ring with Damien
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Jimmy Snuka at 4:19 with the tombstone after catching Snuka as he attempted a slingshot into the ring (SuperTape 92, The Undertaker: 15-0)
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Randy Savage (w/ Sensational Sherri) in a retirement match at 20:46 with one foot on his chest following three flying shoulder blocks, each of which knocked Savage to the floor; midway through the bout, the Warrior kicked out after sustaining five flying elbowsmashes from Savage and, moments later, Savage kicked out of the press slam / splash combo by the Warrior; prior to the bout, Miss Elizabeth was seen sitting in the audience; after the match, Sherri threw referee Earl Hebner out of the ring, verbally berated Savage, and began kicking him until Elizabeth jumped the rail, ran ringside, and threw Sherri to the floor; moments later, Savage came to his senses and thought Elizabeth was the one who was beating on him only to quickly realize it was Sherri; after a brief pause, with Elizabeth clearly crying, Savage and Elizabeth embraced; on their way out of the ring, Savage held the ropes open for Elizabeth before taking a final bow (Elizabeth’s first appearance in 9 months) (WrestleMania: The Greatest Hits, Best of the WWF: WrestleMania, The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, Macho Madness: The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection, The True Story of WrestleMania, Ultimate Warrior: The Ultimate Collection)
Genichiro Tenryu & Koji Kitao defeated Demolition Smash & Crush (w/ Mr. Fuji) at 4:43 when Tenryu pinned Smash with a powerbomb (Tenryu & Kitao’s debut)
The Big Bossman defeated WWF IC Champion Mr. Perfect (w/ Bobby Heenan) via disqualification at 10:45 when Haku and the Barbarian interfered; late in the bout, Andre the Giant came ringside to prevent interference from Bobby Heenan; while stalking Heenan around the ring, Andre ended up hitting Perfect in the face with the title belt; after the bout, Andre fought off Perfect, Haku, and the Barbarian on the floor before shaking hands with Bossman in the aisle and raising his hand in victory; Lord Alfred Hayes did guest commentary for the bout, subbing for Heenan (Andre’s first appearance in a year)
Earthquake (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned Greg Valentine at 3:17 with an elbow drop and the sit-down splash after Valentine became distracted by Hart as he attempted the figure-4; prior to the bout, Gene Okerlund conducted an interview in the arena with Donald Trump, Chuck Norris, Henry Winkler, and Lou Ferigno in the crowd; after the bout, Earthquake attempted a second sit-down splash but Valentine rolled out of the ring
The Legion of Doom defeated Paul Roma & Hercules (w/ Slick) at the 58-second mark when Road Warrior Animal pinned Roma following the Doomsday Device after catching Roma coming off the top and hitting a powerslam
Virgil (w/ Roddy Piper) defeated Ted Dibiase via count-out at 7:37 when Dibiase began attacking Piper’s injured leg on the floor after Piper used his crutch to pull down the top rope, with Dibiase falling to the floor; after the match, Dibiase applied the Million $ Dream on Virgil inside the ring until Piper pulled himself into the ring and hit Dibiase over the back with the crutch; moments later, Piper prepared to hit Dibiase a second time but Sensational Sherri came to the ring and grabbed the weapon, distracting Piper long enough for Dibiase to attack him from behind and repeatedly hit Piper’s leg with the weapon; Virgil eventually cleared the ring with the crutch; after Dibiase and Sherri left ringside, Piper refused any help getting to his feet, with Virgil eventually encouraging Piper to fight the pain and get to his feet (Sherri’s debut with Dibiase)
The Mountie (w/ Jimmy Hart) pinned Tito Santana at 1:20 by using his shock stick to shock Santana in the stomach
Hulk Hogan pinned WWF World Champion Sgt. Slaughter (w/ Gen. Adnan) to win the title at 20:23 with the legdrop after a boot to the face; in the final moments of the match, Slaughter laid the Iraqi flag across the challenger, went to cover him, and Hogan kicked out and Hulked up, which then led to the finish; Regis Philbin did guest commentary for the match; Alex Trebeck was the guest ring announcer and introduced both participants; Marla Maples was the guest time keeper for the bout; in footage not seen on the pay-per-view but later aired on Prime Time Wrestling two days later, Gene Okerlund attempted to interview Hogan backstage immediately following the bout but Hogan was attacked in his locker room by Sgt. Slaughter, sustaining a fireball to the face before being beaten down with a steel chair (Hulkamania 6, The Best of the WWF: Hulkamania, WWF Champion Hulk Hogan’s Greatest Matches, WrestleMania: The Greatest Hits, The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology)
The Bushwhackers defeated the Beverly Brothers at the 10-minute mark
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan on commentary; included Reba McEntire performing the National Anthem to begin the show; featured Gene Okerlund conducting an interview with the Legion of Doom & Paul Ellering in the arena (LOD’s return after being gone 2 months, Ellering’s WWF debut); included a brief pre-taped interview segment with the newest edition of the World Bodybuilding Federation, Lex Luger (Luger’s 1st appearance on WWF TV); the scheduled match between Davey Boy Smith and the Berzerker was cancelled due to time constraints:
Shawn Michaels (w/ Sensational Sherri) pinned Tito Santana at 10:37 when Michaels grabbed hold of the top rope as Santana attempted a slam into the ring, with Michaels falling on top for the win
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Jake Roberts at 6:41 following a tombstone on the floor as Roberts attempted to steal the urn away from Bearer; late in the bout, Taker twice sustained Roberts’ DDT (Robert’s last appearance for nearly 4 years) (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Bret Hart pinned WWF IC Champion Roddy Piper to win the title at 13:50 by kicking off the top turnbuckle while caught in a sleeper, moments after the champion decided against using the time keeper’s bell as a weapon; after the bout, Piper helped Hart to his feet and put the championship belt on him (Piper’s last match for over 2 years) (Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story)
Jim Duggan, the Big Bossman, Virgil, & Sgt. Slaughter defeated Repo Man, the Mountie, & the Nasty Boys (w/ Jimmy Hart) at 6:31 when Virgil pinned Brian Knobs after Jerry Sags accidentally hit Knobs with Virgil’s face protector; prior to the bout, Ray Combs from Family Feud introduced the members of the heel team, insulting them with his fabricated survey results before being chased out of the ring
Randy Savage pinned WWF World Champion Ric Flair (w/ Mr. Perfect) to win the title at 18:01 with a roll up and using the tights for leverage after blocking a punch and hitting the champion; late in the bout, Miss Elizabeth came ringside to support Savage, despite a number of officials – including Shane McMahon – asking her to return backstage; after the bout, a furious Flair kissed Elizabeth before he was slapped by her and attacked by Savage until officials could pull the injured Savage away (WrestleMania’s Greatest Matches Vol. 2, Macho Madness: The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection)
Tatanka pinned Rick Martel at 4:31 with a crossbody; prior to the bout, several Lumbee Indians danced in the ring but then left ringside when the match began
The Natural Disasters defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase & IRS (w/ Jimmy Hart) via count-out at 8:36 when Dibiase and Hart pulled IRS from the ring, as he was about to sustain Earthquake’s sit-down splash, and all three left ringside
Owen Hart pinned Skinner with a roll up at 1:10 after skinning the cat inside the ring as Skinner’s back was turned; seconds prior to the bout beginning, Skinner spat his chewing tobacco in Hart’s face as Owen entered the ring with a moonsault off the top
Hulk Hogan defeated Sid Justice (w/ Harvey Wippleman) via disqualification at 12:26 when Wippleman came in the ring moments after Justice kicked out of the legdrop; after the bout, Papa Shango came to the ring and helped Justice in double teaming Hogan until the Ultimate Warrior’s music played and he ran to the ring to make the save, eventually helping Hogan clear both men from the ring; the show ended with Hogan and Warrior posing in the ring, with pyro going off behind them (Hogan’s last match for nearly a year; Warrior’s surprise return after being gone 7 months)
Stacey Cornette was in attendance at the show
Tito Santana defeated Papa Shango at the 8-minute mark after Shango missed a splash off the top
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Gorilla Monsoon opening the broadcast before turning it over to Jim Ross (Ross’ surprise debut); moments later, Caesar and Cleopatra were escorted to the ring with an elephant; Randy Savage soon followed, accompanied by virgins; Bobby Heenan then followed, riding backwards on a camel; Ross, Heenan, & Savage provided commentary for the show; included Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Rick & Scott Steiner regarding their upcoming match against the Headshrinkers; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Doink the Clown, after Doink vandalized the image of Caesar beside the backdrop to make it look like him; Okerlund & Doink then reviewed footage of him assaulting Crush during WWF Superstars in January, with Doink then saying Crush would soon have double vision; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with WWF Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase & IRS regarding their title defense later in the show against Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake, with the three men then reviewing footage of Money Inc’s assault on Beefcake in February; moments later, IRS alluded to Hogan suffering an injury while leaving the gym the previous day and implied they were responsible; featured Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Mr. Perfect regarding his upcoming match with Lex Luger; included a segment in which Monsoon previewed the Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez and WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna matches later in the show; featured an ad promoting the 1993 King of the Ring; included Okerlund reviewing footage of Yokozuna’s attack on Jim Duggan and Yoko attacking Hart during the official contract signing; moments later, Okerlund conducted an interview with Hogan, with Hogan saying he just met with Hart and said he supported Hart in his match and then issued a challenge to the winner of Hart vs. Yoko; featured Todd Pettingill conducting an interview with fans in the crowd; Natalie Cole was in attendance for the event; the scheduled match between Kamala and Bam Bam Bigelow was cancelled due to time constraints:
Tatanka defeated WWF IC Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Luna Vachon) via count-out at 18:15 after the champion missed a dive to the floor and hit his head against the ring steps; after Tatanka’s entrance, Sensational Sherri came ringside – not to be in his corner – but to watch Michaels lose the title; referee Joey Marella went to signal for the bell but Michaels tripped him from the floor; moments later, Tatanka dropped Michaels with the Samoan Drop inside the ring and made the cover, with Marella then calling for the bell; after the bout, Luna pulled Sherri off the ring apron, hit a clothesline and bodyslam on the floor, and ran backstage; Tatanka helped Sherri backstage moments later (Luna’s surprise debut)
Rick & Scott Steiner defeated the Headshrinkers (w/ Afa) at 14:22 when Scott pinned Samu with the Frankensteiner; during the bout, Jim Ross announced that Luna Vachon had attacked Sensational Sherri backstage in the First Aid center (the Headshrinkers’ first TV loss)
Doink the Clown pinned Crush at 8:28 when a second Doink interfered, as Crush had the head vice applied, and hit Crush over the head three times with a prosthetic arm; after the bout, referee Bill Alphonso informed referee Joey Marella what had happened but when Alfonso went to look underneath the ring, the second Doink was no longer there (1993 Year in Review)
Razor Ramon pinned Bob Backlund at 3:45 with an inside cradle; during the contest, the crowd briefly chanted “Razor;” moments later, the commentary team made mention of Lex Luger knocking WWF World Champion Bret Hart out during the WrestleMania IX brunch held earlier in the day
WWF Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase & IRS defeated Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake (w/ Jimmy Hart) via disqualification at 18:43 when referee Danny Davis came ringside, while referee Earl Hebner was still knocked out, and awarded the match to the champions after Hogan used Beefcake’s steel face protector as a weapon, with Hogan and Beefcake then receiving double pinfalls by Hart after Hart turned his jacket inside out to reveal a referee stripped inside; prior to the bout, it was mentioned that Hogan was jumped the night before outside of a gym to explain his swollen eye; early in the match, the champions attempted to walk out of the bout and take a count-out loss to keep their championship intact but the referee ordered them to either return to the ring or forfeit their titles; after the bout, Hart threw Danny Davis out of the ring; moments later, Hogan, Beefcake, and Hart went around ringside handing out cash found in Money Inc’s briefcase, which had been left ringside (Hogan’s first TV match in a year; Beefcake’s last TV match)
Lex Luger pinned Mr. Perfect at 10:56 by blocking Perfect’s attempt at a backslide and applying his own for the win, even though Perfect’s feet were on the middle rope during the cover; prior to the bout, Luger was accompanied to the ring by several bikini-clad women, with each holding up a large mirror, equipped with sparkers, in the ring while Luger posed; after the bout, Perfect was blindsided by Luger’s running forearm, with Luger then putting one foot on Perfect and posing before going backstage; moments later, Perfect came to his senses and went backstage looking for Luger; after finding Luger, Perfect was attacked from behind by Shawn Michaels until Michaels was pulled away by officials
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) defeated the Giant Gonzalez (w/ Harvey Wippleman) via disqualification at 7:32 when Gonzalez smothered Taker with a rag soaked in Chloraphorm after headbutting Bearer off the ring apron; prior to the bout, Taker was carried out to the ring on a funeral chariot alongside a vulture; after the match, Gonzalez chokeslammed referee Bill Alphonso as the Undertaker was rolled onto a stretcher and taken backstage by officials; the crowd then chanted “Hogan;” moments later, the Undertaker’s gong was sounded and he staggered his way back to the ring where he eventually took Gonzalez down and out of the ring with a flying clothesline; Gonzalez was then escorted backstage by security (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) pinned WWF World Champion Bret Hart to win the title at 8:56 after Fuji threw salt in Hart’s eyes as the Sharpshooter was applied; immediately after the bout, Hulk Hogan came out to tell referee Earl Hebner what happened; moments later, Mr. Fuji issued Hogan an immediate challenge, eventually offering to put up the title; it was not until after Hart encouraged him to do so that Hogan accepted (1993 Year in Review)
Hulk Hogan pinned WWF World Champion Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) to win the title with a clothesline and the legdrop at the 23-second mark after Fuji accidentally threw salt in the champion’s eyes; the bell never rang to begin the match; after the bout, in a segment not televised, Hogan celebrated in the ring with Randy Savage, Beefcake, and Vince McMahon (Yokozuna’s first pinfall loss) (1993 Year in Review)
Countdown show – hosted by Todd Pettengill and Johnny Polo; featured Pettengill in the Paramount speaking with Jeff Jarrett; included a video package promoting Little Richard’s appearance; featured Polo outside Jeannie Garth’s dressing room before showing a video package promoting the Randy Savage vs. Crush match; included Polo outside of Rhonda Shear’s dressing room, mocking that Tony Garea and Mike Chioda were shown walking out of the room; Polo then showed Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Ray preparing to go out for their match and then walking through the tunnel; moments later, Polo reported live from ringside during the Bushwhackers vs. Prichard & Del Ray match; featured a video package hyping the WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels ladder match; included Polo conducting a backstage interview with Diesel about the Razor vs. Michaels match; featured a pretaped WrestleMania rap video from Men on a Mission; moments later, Jerry Lawler was introduced to the crowd, with Pettengill interviewing Lawler at ringside about his return and Lawler saying he couldn’t wait to see Bret Hart be humiliated; Lawler then joined McMahon at the commentary table (Lawler’s surprise return after a 4-month absence); Pettengill then got in the ring, took a video camera from a cameraman and filmed the crowd himself during the final moments of the countdown show:
Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Ray (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated the Bushwhackers at 5:39 when Del Ray pinned Butch after Prichard hit a knee drop to the back of the head, moments after Del Ray sustained the battering ram and was covered (Prichard, Del Ray, & Cornette’s MSG debut)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured an opening in-ring introduction by Vince McMahon in which he welcomed the fans to WrestleMania and then introduced Little Richard, who performed “America, the Beautiful;” included McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; featured a WrestleMania Moment focusing on the WrestleMania II battle royal; included an in-ring segment, following the opening match, in which Bill Dunn introduced Hair Club for Men President Sy Sperling, who then introduced Howard Finkel, with a full head of hair; featured a segment in which “Bill Clinton” was shown in the crowd, with IRS and WWF President Jack Tunney sitting beside him; included Todd Pettengill conducting an interview with “Clinton” in the crowd about how he was enjoying the show; moments later, IRS shook “Clinton’s” hand and congratulated him for raising taxes; featured a video package recapping the weekend’s Fanfest activities; included Savage going into the Paramount to celebrate his victory; featured a WrestleMania Moment focusing on Savage’s WWF World Title tournament win at WrestleMania IV; included a WrestleMania Moment focusing on Roddy Piper using a fire extinguisher on Morton Downey Jr.; featured a WrestleMania Moment focusing on the Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania VI; the Smoking Gunns, Tatanka, Sparky Plugg, & the 1-2-3 Kid vs. Headshrinkers, IRS, Jeff Jarrett, & Rick Martel did not take place due to time constraints; featured Gorilla Monsoon & Chet Coppock on commentary for Radio WWF (the last pay-per-view to be broadcast on radio):
Owen Hart pinned Bret Hart by blocking an attempted victory roll at 20:21; after the bout, Todd Pettengill conducted a backstage interview with Owen regarding his victory, with Owen bragging that he was now the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be; Owen went on to say Bret had no chance in his WWF World Title match later in the show; Bill Dunn was the ring announcer for the bout (1994 Year in Review, The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, Was, and Ever Will Be, Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 90s, Owen: Hart of Gold)
Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon defeated Doink & Dink the Clown at 6:11 when Bigelow pinned Doink with several headbutts and the headbutt off the top after Doink failed a back suplex attempt and Bigelow landed on top; after the bout, Luna attacked Dink and slammed him, with Doink eventually clearing Luna from the ring after tripping up Bigelow (1994 Year in Review)
Randy Savage defeated Crush (w/ Mr. Fuji) in a falls count anywhere match at 9:44; fall #1: Crush pinned Savage at the 46-second mark after dropping Savage with a press slam onto the ringside barricade; after the fall, Fuji struck Savage with the Japanese flag pole; fall #2: Savage pinned Crush at 4:31 after hitting the flying elbowsmash and then pushing Crush out to the floor so he could pin him there; fall #3: Savage pinned Crush at 8:09 after assaulting Crush backstage and ramming his head into a door; after the fall, Savage tied Crush upside down before then returning to the ring and assaulting Fuji; stipulations stated the loser of the fall would have to get back into the ring within 60 seconds or the match would end (1994 Year in Review, Falls Count Anywhere: The Greatest Street Fights and other Out of Control Matches)
WWF Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze pinned Lelani Kai with the German suplex into a bridge at 3:26; after the bout, the Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Nikolai Volkoff, Capt. Lou Albano, and Freddie Blassie were shown sitting in the crowd (Kai’s MSG return after a 6-year absence) (1994 Year in Review)
Men on a Mission (w/ Oscar) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Quebecers (w/ Johnny Polo) via count-out at 7:43 after Pierre sustained a bulldog / splash double team outside the ring; prior to the Quebecers’ entrance, Todd Pettingill conducted a backstage interview with Rhonda Shear, of USA Up All Night; moments later, Shawn Michaels walked in for a photo with Rhonda, with Burt Reynolds then walking in and running off Michaels; the champions used an instrumental version of “Oh Canada” instead of their “We’re Not the Mounties” theme song for their entrance; after the match, MOM celebrated with the title belts in the ring
WWF World Champion Yokozuna (w/ Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) defeated Lex Luger via disqualification when Luger pushed special referee Mr. Perfect, after Perfect was reluctant in making the count on the unconscious champion after Luger pulled both Cornette and Fuji into the ring and knocked them out; after the match, Luger and Perfect had a confrontation backstage; Donnie Wahlberg was the special ring announcer while Rhonda Shear was the special time keeper (Perfect’s surprise return after a 5-month absence) (Cornette’s MSG debut) (Luger’s first appearance with new theme music) (1994 Year in Review)
Earthquake pinned Adam Bomb (w/ Harvey Wippleman) with a powerslam and the sit-down splash
WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels in a ladder match at 18:49 after Michaels had his foot and later his arm entangled in the ring ropes; Diesel was in the challenger’s corner for the early moments of the bout but was sent backstage after attacking Razor on the floor; (voted Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and Pro Wrestling Torch) (the first televised WWF ladder match) (1994 Year in Review, Razor Ramon, Most Unbelievable Matches, Shawn Michaels: From the Vault, History of the Intercontinental Championship, The True Story of WrestleMania, Ladder Match 2: Crash & Burn, The Kliq Rules)
Bret Hart pinned WWF World Champion Yokozuna (w/ Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) to win the title at 10:33 after the champion lost his balance while attempting the Bonzai Drop; mid-way through the match, Piper knocked out Cornette with a punch after Cornette tried to interfere; after the match, Yokozuna chased surprise guest referee Roddy Piper backstage while Hart was congratulated by Lex Luger, WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon, Sparky Plugg, Tatanka, Piper, Randy Savage, the 1-2-3 Kid, Burt Rynolds, Rhonda Shear, Donny Whalberg, Pat Patterson, Gorilla Monsoon, and Vince McMahon; before the show went off the air, Owen Hart came ringside and stared at his brother inside the ring; Rynolds was the special guest ring announcer while Jeanie Garth was the special time keeper (Piper’s surprise return after a 2-year absence) (Bret “The Hitman” Hart, 1994 Year in Review, The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania)
Pay-per-view bouts – included the debut of the “For over 50 years, the revolutionary force in sports entertainment” opening; featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included Special Olympian Kathy Huey performing “America the Beautiful” to open the show; featured NYPD Blue’s Nicholas Tuturro conducting a backstage interview in the heel locker room with Shawn Michaels & Psycho Sid, with Jennifer McCarthy and the Million $ Team in the background; included Tuturro interviewing LT’s All Pro Team before finding Bob Backlund playing chess with Home Improvement’s Jonathan Taylor Thomas, in which Thomas won; featured Todd Pettingill interviewing former NY Giant George Martin in the crowd regarding the LT / Bigelow match; included a video package on the WWF Fan Festival; included Tuturro stating that Pamela Anderson had an argument with Shawn Michaels and left the building:
Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith defeated Jacob & Eli Blu (w/ Uncle Zebakiah) at 6:36 when Smith scored the pin with a sunset flip off the top as the Blu attempted to piledrive Luger, moments after the Blus made an illegal switch in the ring; after the bout, Jim Ross interviewed Zebakiah in the aisle (the debut of the Luger / Smith hybrid theme music) (Super Slams)
Razor Ramon (w/ the 1-2-3 Kid) defeated WWF IC Champion Jeff Jarrett (w/ the Roadie) via disqualification at 13:32 when the Roadie clipped the challenger’s injured knee as Jarrett was set up for the Razor’s Edge; after the bout, the Kid attempted to make the save but was eventually double teamed and caught in Jarrett’s figure-4; moments later, several officials swarmed ringside as Razor cleared Jarrett & the Roadie from the ring; Jim Ross interviewed Jarrett, with a bloody nose, in the aisle as he and Roadie made their way backstage
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned King Kong Bundy (w/ Ted Dibiase) at 6:40 with a boot to the face, a bodyslam, and a flying clothesline after sustaining the Avalanche; American League Umpire Larry Young was the official for the bout; early in the match, Taker regained possession of the urn from Dibiase, then gave it to Bearer; moments later, Kama came ringside and quickly restole the urn on behalf of Dibiase; on his way backstage, Jim Ross interviewed Kama, who said he would melt down the urn; prior to the match, Todd Pettingill interviewed former Chicago Bear Neil Anderson regarding the LT / Bigelow match (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Owen Hart & Yokozuna (w/ Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) (mystery partner) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns to win the titles at 9:43 when Owen pulled Billy into the middle of the ring and opted for a cover instead of applying the Sharpshooter, moments after Yoko hit the Bonzai Drop (Yoko’s surprise return following Survivor Series 94)
Bret Hart defeated Bob Backlund in an I Quit match at 9:34 after applying the Crossface Chicken Wing; prior to the bout, Roddy Piper was introduced as the surprise guest referee; after the bout, Jim Ross interviewed Backlund in the aisle, with Backlund saying, in a daze, he “saw the light”
WWF World Champion Diesel (w/ Pamela Anderson) pinned Shawn Michaels (w/ Psycho Sid & Jenny McCarthy) at 20:37 with a boot to the face and the powerbomb; Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the guest time keeper for the bout; Nicholas Tuturro was the guest ring announcer; after the bout, Jim Ross interviewed Michaels & Sid in the aisle in which Sid said Michaels was not done with the champion; moments later, Diesel had Anderson, McCarthy, Thomas, & Tuturro come into the ring to celebrate; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year
Lawrence Taylor (w/ Ken Norton Jr., Chris Spielman, Ricky Jackson, Carl Banks, Steve McMichael, & Reggie White) pinned Bam Bam Bigelow (w/ Ted Dibiase, Tatanka, King Kong Bundy, Nikolai Volkoff & Kama) at 11:44 with a forearm off the middle turnbuckle to the face; Pat Patterson was the referee for the bout; the theme music used by LT was the same used by Bigelow following his face turn several weeks later; prior to and immediately following the bout, Salt n Peppa performed near the entranceway; following the match, Jim Ross attempted to interview Bigelow in the aisle but he walked right by as Dibiase verbally berated him; moments later, LT was congratulated in the ring by his All Pro Team and his son, and then helped from ringside
Free For All: WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Skip & Zip (w/ Sunny) defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim) at 5:24 when Skip pinned Phinneas with a roll up after Sunny distracted Phinneas from the apron by lifting the back of her skirt as he attempted the Slop Drop (Free For All, Sunny)
Pay-per-view matches – featured Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler on commentary:
Vader, Owen Hart, & Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated Ahmed Johnson, Jake Roberts, & Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) at 13:11 when Vader pinned Roberts with a running Vader Bomb followed by a Vader Bomb off the middle turnbuckle as Roberts attempted to hit the DDT on an interfering Cornette; had Yoko’s team won, Yoko would have received 5 minutes alone in the ring with Cornette
Steve Austin (w/ Ted Dibiase) defeated Savio Vega via submission with the Million $ Dream at 10:08 after twice hitting Savio in the head with the Million $ Belt; after the bout, Austin kept the hold applied for several moments until more officials came to the ring
The Ultimate Warrior pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Sable) at 1:39 by placing two knees on the chest after hitting the flying shoulder block, gorilla press slam, and splash, moments after Helmsley hit the Pedigree; immediately following the bout, Todd Pettingill conducted a backstage interview with ‘Wildman’ Marc Mero (mistakenly calling him ‘Maro’), during which Mero and Helmsley got into a brawl after Helmsley verbally berated Sable and interrupted Mero’s interview (Warrior’s return match after nearly a 4-year absence; Sable’s debut; Mero’s debut) (Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology)
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Diesel with a chokeslam and the tombstone at 16:47; during the bout, Diesel hit two consecutive powerbombs (Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker, The Undertaker: 15-0)
Roddy Piper defeated WWF IC Champion Goldust (w/ Marlena) in a non-title Hollywood Backlot Brawl; in a pre-taped segment which aired following the 6-man tag, Piper and Goldust battled on a Hollywood Backlot, with Goldust eventually fleeing in his gold Cadillac and Piper chasing after him in his white Ford Bronko; later in the show, footage from the OJ Simpson police chase was shown to ‘document’ Piper making his way to the arena; Piper and Goldust then came out and battled in the ring, where Piper stripped the champion down to his lingerie, with Goldust then escaping backstage to end the contest; after the bout, Piper celebrated in the ring with his son Colt (Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story)
Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) defeated WWF World Champion Bret Hart in an Ironman match to win the title; the original decision was a draw at 60:02, as neither man had scored a fall in the 60-minute time-limit, however the match was restarted by WWF President Gorilla Monsoon, with Michaels hitting two superkicks in sudden death to pick up the win at 1:53; prior to the bout, Monsoon was formally introduced as the newly reinstated president; during the challenger’s entrance, he came down from the ceiling on a zipwire, eventually landing in the crowd; during the contest, several members of the Hart Family were shown at ringside, including Stu and Blade; Freddie Blassie was shown sitting next to Stu; during the last 34 seconds of the bout, Micheals was trapped in the Sharpshooter but refused to submit; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year (Shawn Michaels: The Heartbreak Express Tour, Shawn Michaels: From the Vault, The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart)
Colt Cabana and Justin Roberts were in attendance for the show
Free For All: Billy Gunn pinned Flash Funk with a DDT off the top at 7:05
Pay-per-view bouts – included Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, & Jerry Lawler on commentary; Stu & Helen Hart, Arnold Skaaland, Tony Atlas, and Capt. Lou Albano were shown in attendance:
The Headbangers defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn (w/ Hillbilly Jim), Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon, and Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw in an elimination match at 10:39; the Blackjacks were disqualified at 4:45 while brawling with LaFon & Furnas on the floor, with Bradshaw knocking the referee to the concrete; LaFon & Furnas were counted-out during the same brawl; Mosh pinned Phinneas with a version of the Bombs Away sit-down splash off the top; prematch stipulations stated that the winners would earn a tag team title shot the following night on Raw is War
WWF IC Champion Rocky Maivia pinned the Sultan (w/ the Iron Sheik & Mr. Bob Backlund) at 9:48 with a reversal into a roll up; prior to the bout, the Honkytonk Man came ringside to do guest commentary for the contest; after the match, Jim Ross attempted to interview the champion at ringside until Maivia was attacked by the Sultan, Sheik, and Backlund; moments thereafter, Rocky Johnson came to the ring to help his son (The Most Powerful Families of Wrestling)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) pinned Goldust (w/ Marlena) with the Pedigree at 13:17 after sending Goldust into Marlena, knocking her off the apron and into the clutches of Chyna who violently shook her into unconciousness; after the bout, Goldust carried an injured Marlena backstage
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith fought Mankind & Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) to a double count-out at 16:07 when Mankind applied the Mandible Claw on Smith while on the arena floor; prior to the bout, Jim Ross interviewed the champions in the aisle as they made their way to the ring and attempted to create tension between the two
Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin in a submission match at 22:03 when guest referee Ken Shamrock stopped the match after Austin passed out while in the Sharpshooter after being hit in the head with the timekeeper’s bell; after the match, Shamrock held Hart off from further attacking Austin; moments thereafter, Austin hit the Stunner on an offical who attempted to help him to his feet and walked backstage under his own power (voted Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Pro Wrestling Illustrated) (The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, Was, and Ever Will Be, Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time)
Ahmed Johnson & the Legion of Doom defeated Farooq, Savio Vega, & Crush (w/ the Nation) in a Chicago Streetfight at 10:45 when Road Warrior Animal pinned Crush after Crush sustained the Doomsday Device and was sent into a 2×4; after the match, Ahmed and the LOD laid waste to all the other members of the Nation – D-Lo Brown and PG-13 (Falls Count Anywhere: The Greatest Street Fights and other Out of Control Matches)
The Undertaker pinned WWF World Champion Psycho Sid to win the title at 23:54 with the tombstone after Bret Hart came ringside and dropped Sid throat-first over the top rope as Sid attempted the powerbomb; seconds into the match, Hart entered the ring, claimed Shawn Michaels’ injury was fake, blamed the Undertaker for costing him the title on Raw, and called Sid a fraud before the champion hit the powerbomb on Hart; late in the contest, Hart returned ringside and hit the champion with a steel chair as Sid was on the floor; Shawn Michaels did guest commentary for the bout (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Kofi Kingston was in attendance for the show
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included Gennifer Flowers interviewing WWF IC Champion the Rock; professional boxers Vinny Pazienza and Marvin Hagler were in attendance for the show:
The Legion of Doom (w/ Sunny) (mystery participants) won a 15-tag team battle royal by last eliminating Bob Holly & Bart Gunn at 8:14; other teams participating included: the Quebecars, the Headbangers, Farooq & Kama Mustafa, Mark Henry & D-Lo Brown, Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, 8-Ball & Skull, Sniper & Recon, Savio Vega & Miguel Perez, Steve Blackman & Flash Funk, Brian Christopher & Scott Taylor, Jose Estrada & Jesus Castillo, Chainz & Bradshaw, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express; due to pre-match stipulations, the LOD earned a tag team title shot at Unforgiven (Sunny’s first appearance with the LOD; the LOD’s surprise return after a month absence; the debut of “LOD 2000”)
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku pinned Aguila at 5:55 with the Michinoku Driver after dropkicking the challenger as he came off the top
WWF European Champion Triple H (w/ Chyna) pinned Owen Hart at 11:27 with the Pedigree after a low blow from Chyna; WWF Comissioner Sgt. Slaughter had himself handcuffed to Chyna for the duration of the title match, however late in the contest Chyna threw powder in Slaughter’s face and interfered behind the referee’s back (Triple H: The King of Kings)
Marc Mero & Sable defeated TAFKA Goldust & Luna Vachon in a mixed tag team match at 9:11 when Sable pinned Luna with the TKO
WWF IC Champion the Rock (w/ D-Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, & Mark Henry) defeated Ken Shamrock via reverse decision at 4:49; the challenger originally won the bout and title with a belly to belly suplex and the ankle lock but after the bout and following a brief altercation with the Nation, Shamrock reapplied the ankle lock and fought off officials that attempted to stop him; the Rock was taken from ringside on a stretcher until he was knocked off by Shamrock following the ruling being changed; Gennifer Flowers was the special ring announcer for the bout, was introduced by Tennessee Lee, and escorted to the ring by Jeff Jarrett
Cactus Jack & Terry Funk defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg to win the titles at 10:00 in a dumpster match after Funk used a forklift to drop the champions in a dumpster backstage
The Undertaker pinned Kane (w/ Paul Bearer) following three tombstone piledrivers at 16:58; after the match, Kane hit the tombstone on the Undertaker onto a steel chair; prior to the contest, Pete Rose ran down the city of Boston until Kane entered the ring and hit the tombstone (Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker, The Undertaker: 15-0, The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane)
Steve Austin pinned WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels to win the title at 20:02 by catching the champion’s foot in the middle of the superkick and hitting the Stunner; early in the bout, both Triple H and Chyna were sent backstage following interference; Mike Tyson was the special ringside enforcer for the bout and made the pin after the original referee was knocked out; after the bout, Tyson knocked Michaels out with a punch to the jaw (Michaels’ last match for more than 4 years) (The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, The True Story of WrestleMania, Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time)
Sunday Night Heat – included Vince McMahon announcing that the Steve Austin / WWF World Champion the Rock match would be a No DQ bout, with Paul Wight then blocking the door to the arena to prevent Austin from arriving; featured the Big Bossman cutting a promo on facing the Undertaker later in the night, with the lights then going out, the Brood appearing, and Bossman receiving a bloodbath; included a backstage brawl between Mankind and Wight, during which Austin was seen arriving to the arena:
Jackie (w/ Terri) pinned Ivory at 1:24 with a back suplex; after the bout, Terri – who did guest commentary for the bout – stuck a lit cigar into Ivory’s face until Tori made the save
Test and D-Lo Brown co-won a battle royal at 4:16 when Droz and the Godfather eliminated each other; other participants included: Bradshaw, Farooq, Steve Blackman, Brian Christopher, Road Warrior Hawk, Road Warrior Animal, 8-Ball, Skull, WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Gillberg, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Mideon, Tiger Ali Singh, Viscera, Rocco Rock, and Johnny Grunge; due to pre-match stipulations, Test and D-Lo earned a tag team title shot later in the night; WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett did guest commentary for the bout and attacked the winners after the match
Pay-per-view bouts – Boyz II Men performed “America the Beautiful” to begin the show; featured Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler on commentary; Isaac Hayes and Big Punisher were in attendance for the show; included footage from the WrestleMania Rage Party including Steve Austin, the Rock, Triple H, Shane McMahon, DX, the McMahons, the Undertaker, Kane, Debra, the Big Show, and Mankind:
Hardcore Holly defeated Al Snow and WWF Hardcore Champion Billy Gunn to win the title at 7:07 by pinning Snow after hitting Gunn over the back with a steel chair as Gunn had Snow covered following the Fameasser
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) defeated D-Lo Brown (w/ Ivory) & Test at 3:08 when Jarrett pinned D-Lo with a roll over following a missile dropkick from Hart as D-Lo attempted a powerbomb; late in the bout, the referee was distracted by a ringside confrontation between Terri, Debra, and Ivory on the floor; after the contest, D-Lo and Test briefly brawled at ringside
Butterbean defeated Bart Gunn via KO at the 47-second mark in the 1st round of a boxing match; Vinnie Pazienza served as referee for the bout; Kevin Rooney, Chuck Wepner, and WWF Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon were the judges for the contest; after the bout, the San Diego Chicken ran in the ring and taunted Pazienza (Monsoon’s last TV appearance)
Mankind defeated the Big Show via disqualification at 6:51 after Show hit a chokeslam on Mankind through two steel chairs set up inside the ring; after the bout, an angered Vince McMahon came out and verbally berated Show for losing the match, eventually slapping Show in the face before Show knocked Vince out with a punch; moments later, Mankind was taken from ringside on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital while Pat Patterson & Gerald Brisco came out to help McMahon from the ring; due to pre-match stipulations, Mankind earned the right to be the guest referee for the main event; later in the show, Show was arrested for striking McMahon and McMahon announced that since Mankind was unable to officiate the main even then he himself would take the responsibility
WWF IC Champion the Road Dogg defeated Goldust (w/ the Blue Meanie & Ryan Shamrock), Val Venis, and Ken Shamrock in an elimination match at 9:48; Shamrock fought Venis to a double count-out at 8:24; after the elimination, Shamrock hit a belly to belly suplex on both Goldust and Road Dogg; Road Dogg pinned Goldust by rolling through on a powerslam attempt, moments after Ryan accidentally tripped Goldust; after the bout, Goldust and the Meanie verbally abused Ryan as the three went backstage
Kane (w/ Chyna) defeated Triple H via disqualification at 11:33 when Chyna, who came ringside moments earlier, entered the ring and hit Kane in the back with a steel chair; prior to the bout, the San Diego Chicken attacked Kane from behind, with Kane unmasking the chicken to be Pete Rose; moments later, Kane hit the tombstone on Rose; after the contest, Triple H gave Kane several chair shots before finishing with a Pedigree onto the chair; moments later, Triple H and Chyna embraced and left the ring together
WWF Women’s Champion Sable pinned Tori with the Sable Bomb at 5:04 after Nicole Bass came out of the crowd and press slammed the challenger as the referee was knocked out (Bass’ surprise debut)
WWF European Champion Shane McMahon (w/ Test) pinned X-Pac at 8:43 when Triple H, who came ringside with Chyna moments earlier, entered the ring and hit the Pedigree on the challenger after X-Pac hit the X-Factor on McMahon; prior to the match, Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco attacked X-Pac during his entrance but he easily fought them off; after the bout, Test and Triple H double teamed X-Pac and fought off Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg until Kane came out, scared chyna, Shane, Triple H, and Test from the ring, and chased them backstage; the Mean Street Posse were featured sitting ringside for the match
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned the Big Bossman in a Hell in a Cell match at 9:49 with the tombstone; after the bout, Gangrel, Edge, and Christian came down from the ceiling onto the roof of the cell; moments later, after cutting through the roof, they lowered a noose for the Undertaker to put on the Bossman; once the Brood was lifted back up to the ceiling, Paul Bearer raised the cell, and since the noose was now tied to the cell, the Bossman was hung (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Steve Austin pinned WWF World Champion the Rock to win the title at 16:52 in a No DQ match by blocking the People’s Elbow and hitting the Stunner; prior to the bout, Michael Cole introduced Jim Ross to the crowd, with Ross returning to commentary duties alongside Jerry Lawler for the main event; moments later, Vince McMahon came out to act as the guest referee but WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels said only he could appoint the referee, told McMahon to leave the ring, and ordered that the Corporation would be banned from ringside for the duration of the contest; Mankind, who had been sent to the hospital following his match earlier in the evening, returned to the arena late in the match and served as the appointed referee after Vince McMahon interfered and knocked out Earl Hebner (The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania, Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time)
Sunday Night Heat – featured an in-ring brawl between Edge & Christian and Matt & Jeff Hardy; included WWF European & IC Champion Kurt Angle attacking Bob Backlund and locking him in the Crossface Chicken Wing after finding out it was Backlund who came up with the idea of Angle having to defend both his titles at WrestleMania:
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Lilian Garcia performing the national anthem to open the show; featured Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included footage from WWF Axxess and comments from Val Venis, Chyna, Chris Jericho, Terri, the Big Show, Trish Stratus, Test, Michael Cole, Tazz, D-Von Dudley, Steve Austin, and the Rock; during the segment, both Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, in his “American Badass” persona, were shown signing autographs even though they did not appear at the pay-per-view; featured an ‘Austin Powers 2’-type segment with the Kat and Mae Young in which Mae strategically held items to cover the naked Kat as the two conversed backstage; included footage of Bridget & Chris Binder of Allentown, PA winning tickets for WrestleMania earlier in the day and being flown on a private jet to the show; Martin Short, Michael Clarke Duncan, French Stewart, and Dustin Diamond were all in attendance for the event:
The Big Bossman & Bull Buchanon defeated the Godfather & D-Lo Brown (w/ Ice-T) at 9:05 when Buchanon pinned D-Lo with a legdrop off the top after Bossman hit the sidewalk slam
Hardcore Holly won a 13-man 15-minute hardcore battle royal to win the WWF Hardcore Title; Tazz pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Crash Holly with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex to win the title at the 26-second mark; Viscera pinned Tazz outside the ring to win the title at 1:24 with a powerslam on the floor after ramming him into the steel ring post; Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki pinned Viscera at 7:38 after Farooq broke a 2×4 over Viscera’s back and Bradshaw followed with a flying shoulderblock; Funaki was named the new champion; Rodney pinned Funaki backstage to win the title at 8:34 after he and Joey Abs threw Funaki into a steel barricade; Joey Abs pinned Rodney to win the title at 8:48 with a gutwrench suplex backstage on the concrete floor; Headbanger Thrasher pinned Abs to win the title at 9:08 with a clothesline after ramming him into a recieving door backstage; Pete Gas pinned Thrasher to win the title at 10:05 after spraying him with a fire extinguisher in the aisle and then hitting him over the head with it; Tazz pinned Pete Gas to win the title at 10:40 following a Tazzplex on the floor; Crash pinned Tazz to win the title after twice hitting him over the head with a cookie sheet at 14:38; Hardcore pinned Crash to win the title at 15:20 after smashing Jim Ross’ candy jar over Crash’s head as the champion was caught in the Tazzmission, injuring Tazz as well; after the bout, Crash thought he had retained the title but referee Tim White took the title belt from him and gave it to Hardcore; participants included: Tazz, Viscera, Rodney, Pete Gas, Joey Abs, Hardcore Holly, Taka Michinoku, Sho Funaki, Headbanger Mosh, Headbanger Thrasher, and WWF Hardcore Champion Crash Holly
Test & Albert (w/ Trish Stratus) defeated Al Snow & Steve Blackman (w/ Chester McCheeserton – a hispanic man in a cheese outfit) at 7:01 when Test pinned Blackman with a flying elbow drop following a gorilla press slam by Albert; after the bout, Snow grabbed the mic and apologized for bringing Chester out, helped him in the ring, said “It’s time to cut the cheese” and then hit Chester over the head with the microphone; moments later, Blackman kicked Chester before he and Snow hit their elevated legdrop off the top double team
Edge & Christian defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy and WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz in a ladder match to win the titles at 22:25 after Edge shoved Matt from a table top, placed across the top of two ladders, through a second table set up in the ring (Edge: A Decade of Decadence, Jeff Hardy: My Life My Rules, Wrestling’s Highest Flyers, The True Story of WrestleMania)
Terri (w/ the Fabulous Moolah) defeated the Kat (w/ Mae Young) at 2:26 in a match where the winner would be the first woman to throw her opponent out of the ring; Kat had twice thrown Terri to the floor but Mae accidentally distracted guest referee Val Venis, the second time by kissing him in the ring; during the distraction, Moolah pushed Terri back inside the ring and pulled Kat to the floor, resulting in Venis awarding Terri the match; after the bout, Mae hit the Bronko Buster on Moolah before helping Kat rip Terri’s pants off (the first appearance of the Kat as a blonde)
Chyna, Grandmaster Sexay, & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, & WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Dean Malenko at 9:39 when Chyna pinned Guerrero with a sleeper slam after grabbing Guerrero by the crotch and hitting a press slam
Chris Benoit defeated Chris Jericho and WWF IC & European Champion Kurt Angle to win the IC title by pinning Jericho at 7:56 with a diving headbutt after throwing Angle into the front row after Jericho was trapped in the champion’s Crossface Chicken Wing for a lengthy period of time
Chris Jericho defeated WWF IC Champion Chris Benoit and WWF European Champion Kurt Angle to win the European title at 5:52 by pinning Benoit with the Lionsault after Angle rolled out of the way of Benoit’s diving headbutt (Most Memorable Matches of 2000)
Kane (w/ Paul Bearer) & Rikishi defeated X-Pac & the Road Dogg (w/ Tori) at 4:16 when Kane pinned X-Pac with the tombstone after Rikishi gave Tori the Stinkface; after the bout, Too Cool came out to celebrate followed soon after by the San Diego Chicken and all three, along with Rikishi, danced in the ring; Kane then cornered the Chicken, thinking it was Pete Rose, but the real Rose came from behind with a baseball bat; Rikishi prevented Rose from using the bat, allowing Kane to hit the chokeslam, and then gave Rose the Stinkface
WWF World Champion Triple H (w/ Stephanie McMahon) defeated the Rock (w/ Vince McMahon), the Big Show (w/ Shane McMahon), and Mick Foley (w/ Linda McMahon) in a No DQ elimination match at 36:24; Rock pinned Show with the Rock Bottom at 4:50 after Foley hit Show in the back with a steel chair from the floor; Triple H pinned Foley at 19:40 with a Pedigree onto a steel chair after hitting a regular Pedigree and following with a chair shot to the head; after the fall, Foley returned to the ring and hit Triple H in the face with a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire; Triple H pinned Rock after Vince twice hit the challenger over the head with a steel chair; mid-way through the fall, Shane returned ringside and bloodied Vince, with Vince then being helped backstage; moments later, he returned to the ring, hit a low blow on Shane and knocked him out of the ring and then prepared to hit the champion with the chair but hit Rock instead; after the bout, Vince and Stephanie embraced, with Rock returning to the ring, knocking Shane down and hitting the Rock Bottom on Vince; Stephanie then confronted and slapped Rock before sustaining the Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow; Vince and Shane were helped backstage as Triple H checked on his wife to close the show (Foley’s last match for 4 years; Foley’s last appearance for almost 3 months)
Sunday Night Heat – featured Freddie Blassie, Afa, & Capt. Lou Albano at WWF New York in which Blassie picked the Iron Sheik, Afa picked Kamala, and Albano picked Hillbilly Jim to win the gimmick battle royal; included footage of Triple H and the Undertaker brawling during an autograph session at WWF Axxess:
Justin Credible & X-Pac (w/ Albert) defeated Steve Blackman & Grandmaster Sexay at 2:46 when X-Pac pinned Blackman following a double superkick after Blackman & Sexay knocked Albert off the apron (WrestleMania X-7)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Jim Ross & Paul Heyman on commentary; included footage of Mick Foley, Trish Stratus, Chris Benoit, Lita, Jim Ross, Matt & Jeff Hardy, Kane, Chris Jericho, the Rock, Steve Blackman, the Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Steve Blackman, the Undertaker, Chyna, Stephanie McMahon, Al Snow, and Steve Austin at WWF Axxess held over the weekend:
WWF IC Champion Chris Jericho pinned William Regal with a suplex and the Lionsault at 7:08
Tazz & the Acolytes (w/ Jackie) defeated Bull Buchanon, the Goodfather, & Val Venis (w/ Steven Richards) at 3:53 when Bradshaw pinned Goodfather with the Clothesline from Hell after avoiding the Ho Train
Kane defeated WWF Hardcore Champion Raven and the Big Show to win the title at 9:18 after kicking his opponents off the stage and then hitting a flying legdrop on Show (WWF Hardcore)
Eddie Guerrero (w/ Perry Saturn) pinned WWF European Champion Test to win the title at 8:07 by hitting him with the title belt, thrown to him by Saturn, after Test attacked an interfering Dean Malenko on the apron
Kurt Angle pinned Chris Benoit at 14:02 with a crucifix into a roll up and holding the tights for leverage; after the bout, Benoit attacked Angle during a backstage interview and applied the Crippler Crossface until he was pulled off by officials
Chyna pinned WWF Women’s Champion Ivory to win the title at 2:39 by casually laying on top of the champion following a gorilla press slam (Chyna’s in-ring return following the Royal Rumble)
Shane McMahon pinned Vince McMahon (w/ Stephanie McMahon) in a streetfight at 14:12 following the Van Terminator off the top rope into a trash can; late in the match, Trish Stratus came out, pushing a sedated Linda McMahon to ringside in a wheelchair, helped Vince up on the floor, and slapped him; moments later, Trish and Stephanie fought in and out of the ring resulting in Trish stalking Stephanie backstage; moments later, Vince dragged Linda into the ring and assaulted Shane with a number of trash cans until Linda sat up and hit a low blow on Vince, proving she was never sedated and it was a set up all along; moments later, guest referee Mick Foley assaulted Vince in the corner, allowing Shane to set Vince up for the finish; prior to the bout, Shane acknowledged the WCW stars in the skybox, among them Stacy Keibler, Sean O’Haire, Lance Storm, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Hugh Morrus, Mark Jindrak, Mike Awesome, Shawn Stasiak, and several others (Mr. McMahon, The True Story of WrestleMania)
Edge & Christian defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz and Matt & Jeff Hardy in TLC 2 to win the titles at 15:41 when Christian, on Rhyno’s shoulders, grabbed the belts as Edge prevented D-Von Dudley from making the save, moments after Rhyno shoved both Bubba Ray Dudley and Matt Hardy off the top of a ladder, with both men falling through a table set up on the floor; earlier in the bout, both Lita and Spike Dudley interfered on behalf of their teams as well; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year (The Hardy Boyz: Leap of Faith, The Ladder Match)
The Iron Sheik won the gimmick battle royal at 3:03 by last eliminating Hillbilly Jim; other participants included: the Bushwhackers, Duke Drose, Earthquake, the Goon, Doink the Clown, Kamala, Kimchee (Steve Lombardi), Repo Man, Jim Cornette, Nikolai Volkoff, Michael Hayes, One Man Gang, the Gobbeldy Gooker (Hector Guerrero), Tugboat, Brother Love, & Sgt. Slaughter; order of elimination: Repo Man by Hayes, Gooker by Tugboat, Tugboat by Earthquake, Earthquake by Kamala, Kimchee by Kamala, Luke by Cornette using his tennis racket as a weapon, Cornette by Hillbilly, Droese by Doink, Goon when Butch ducked a clothesline, Volkoff by Slaughter, Butch by Doink, Doink by Kamala, Hayes by OMG, OMG by Kamala, Kamala by Slaughter, Brother Love by Slaughter, Slaughter by Hillbilly; after the match, Slaughter put Sheik in the Cobra Clutch, Gene Okerlund & Bobby Heenan did guest commentary for the bout (Okerlund & Heenan’s surprise return after an 7-year absence) (Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan)
The Undertaker pinned Triple H at 18:17 with a powerbomb out of the corner as Triple H stood on the ropes punching away at Taker in the corner; prior to the match, Motorhead performed Triple H’s theme song live as he made his way to the ring (Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker, The Undertaker: 15-0)
Steve Austin pinned WWF World Champion the Rock to win the title in a No DQ match at 28:05 after Austin took a steel chair from Vince McMahon, who came ringside at the 22-minute mark and interfered on behalf of the challenger, and assaulted the champion with a chairshot to the head followed by 16 chairshots to the back, ribs, and legs; after the bout, Austin and McMahon shook hands; moments later, Austin hit Rock in the face with the title belt before he and Vince shared a beer to close the show; it was not announced until the ring introductions that the match would be No DQ (The History of the WWE Heavyweight Championship, The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time)
Sunday Night Heat: Rikishi, Albert, & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated Test, Lance Storm, & Mr. Perfect at 3:06 when Rikishi pinned Perfect
Pay-per-view bouts – included Saliva performing “Superstar” to open the show; featured Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included Drowning Pool performing “Tear Away” during a video package detailing the feud between Triple H and Chris Jericho; featured the Big Show at The World:
Rob Van Dam pinned WWF IC Champion William Regal to win the title with the Five Star Frog Splash at 6:20 following a spin kick as the champion attempted to use a pair of brass knuckles
WWF European Champion Diamond Dallas Page pinned Christian at 6:10 with the Diamond Cutter; after the bout, the champion grabbed a mic and said he was proud of Christian for losing in front of 67,000 and millions others around the world and not throwing a temper tantrum, prompting Christian to throw a tantrum in the middle of the ring; the champion then left through the crowd
Spike Dudley pinned WWF Hardcore Champion Maven to win the title at 3:17 by interferring in Maven’s title defense with Goldust after Maven and Goldust knocked each other out with trash can lid shots to the head; immediately after the pin, Spike was chased into the crowd by Crash Holly, Goldust, and Maven; later in the show, the Hurricane pinned Spike backstage after Spike avoided attacks from Al Snow and Crash Holly; later segments in the show saw Hurricane hide in the Godfather’s dressing room until he was chased out, Molly Holly pin the Hurricane to win the title after hitting him with a frying pan, Christian pin Molly for the title after slamming a door in her face, and Maven pin Christian with a roll up to win the title as Christian attempted to leave in a taxi
Kurt Angle pinned Kane at 10:43 by reversing a chokeslam attempt into a roll up and putting his feet on the ropes for leverage (The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane)
The Undertaker pinned Ric Flair in a No DQ match at 18:47 with the tombstone after fighting off an interfering Arn Anderson; after the bout, Taker hit a clothesline on referee Charles Robinson (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Edge pinned Booker T with a kick to the midsection and the DDT at 6:33
Steve Austin pinned Scott Hall (w/ Kevin Nash) at 9:53 with two Stunners after Hall hit an unprotected turnbuckle; Nash was ejected by several referees during the final moments of the match after interfering
WWF Tag Team Champions Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy, the Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler), and the Acolytes in an elimination match at 13:51; D-Von pinned Bradshaw following the 3D at 3:25 after Bradshaw hit the Clothesline from Hell on Gunn; Matt pinned Bubba Ray following the Twist of Fate / Swanton combo at 11:49 after Bubba became distracted by Gunn shoving D-Von off the top and through a table set up on the floor; Palumbo pinned Jeff after Gunn hit the Fameasser behind the referee’s back and followed moments later by hitting Jeff in the face with one of the title belts; prior to the bout, Saliva performed the Dudleyz’ new theme live as they made their way out
The Rock pinned Hulk Hogan at 16:23 with two Rock Bottoms and the People’s Elbow after avoiding the legdrop; after the bout, Hogan extended his hand to Rock, with Rock accepting; after Rock left the ring, Scott Hall & Kevin Nash came out, confronted Hogan, and double teamed him until Rock returned to help make the save; moments later, Hogan and Rock posed before leaving the ring together; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Match of the Year (Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology, The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania, The True Story of WrestleMania, History of WWE)
WWF Women’s Champion Jazz defeated Trish Stratus and Lita at 6:16 by pinning Lita with a fisherman buster off the top after knocking Trish off the apron to the floor
Triple H pinned WWF World Champion Chris Jericho (w/ Stephanie McMahon) to win the title at 18:40 with a kick to the midsection and the Pedigree as the champion came off the middle turnbuckle; late in the bout, Stephanie attempted to interfere with a steel chair but sustained the Pedigree from the challenger; prior to the bout, Drowning Pool performed Triple H’s theme song live (The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania)
Sunday Night Heat – featured Jonathan Coachman & Lita on commentary; included Nunzio luring Nathan Jones into the lockerroom where he was assaulted by the Big Show and Albert; featured John Cena cutting a promo rap on Jay-Z and Fabolous at the entrance stage:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Lance Storm & Chief Morley (sub. for William Regal) (w/ the Dudley Boyz) defeated Rob Van Dam & Kane at 10:00 when Storm pinned RVD after the Dudleyz interfered and hit the 3D on Storm, with Bubba Ray then hitting an elbow drop on RVD as he covered Storm (WrestleMania XIX)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Ashanti performing the National Anthem to begin the show; included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for the Raw matches and Michael Cole & Tazz on commentary for the Smackdown! matches; featured Limp Bizkit performing “Crack Addict” for the first time live; included a pillow catfight between the Miller Lite Catfight girls Tanya Ballinger and Kitana Baker, overseen by Jonathan Coachman; before the contest began, Stacy Keibler came out followed by Torrie Wilson, with all four girls catfighting on and around a bed set up on the stage; eventually the girls depantsed Coachman and tripped him up before leaving the set; featured a vignette promoting the debut of Bill Goldberg; included a vignette promoting WrestleMania 20 as taking place March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden; UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz was in attendance:
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Matt Hardy (w/ Shannon Moore) pinned Rey Mysterio Jr. at 5:41 by blocking a victory roll attempt and grabbing onto the ropes for leverage
The Undertaker defeated the Big Show & Albert in a handicap match at 8:45 by pinning Albert with the tombstone; Taker’s partner was to have been Nathan Jones but Jones was injured during Sunday Night Heat and deemed unable to compete; late in the bout, Jones came out and assaulted Show in the aisle, allowing Taker to get the win; prior to the bout, Limp Bizkit performed “Rollin” live, during which the Undertaker drove out to the ring on his motorcycle with an American flag attached to the back; after the contest, Taker waved the American flag inside the ring (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Trish Stratus defeated WWE Women’s Champion Victoria (w/ Steven Richards) and Jazz to win the title at 7:17 by pinning Victoria with a kick to the face as the champion ran the ropes, moments after hitting the bulldog on an interfering Richards (Trish Stratus – 100% Stratusfaction Guaranteed)
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas defeated Eddie & Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Chris Benoit & Rhyno at 8:46 when Benjamin pinned Chavo after Rhyno hit the Gore on Chavo and was pulled out to the floor by Eddie
Shawn Michaels pinned Chris Jericho at 20:33 with a leg backslide; after the bout, the two men embraced out of respect before Jericho kicked Michaels in the groin, gave the finger to the crowd, and left ringside (The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels: His Journey, Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho)
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) pinned Booker T at 18:47 with the Pedigree after the challenger further injured his leg by executing the Harlem Hangover; 15 seconds passed between the champion hitting the move and being able to make the cover
Hulk Hogan pinned Vince McMahon in a streetfight at 20:49 with three legdrops after assaulting McMahon’s referee Sylvan Grenier; mid-way through the bout, McMahon climbed a ladder on the floor and hit a legdrop on Hogan through the Spanish announce table; moments later, a man wearing all black entered the ring, quickly revealed himself to be Roddy Piper, kicked and spat on both men as they were down in the ring, and eventually hit Hogan in the head with a steel pipe before leaving the ring; after the bout, Shane McMahon came out to check on his father as Hogan played to the fans; had Hogan lost the match he would have had to retire (Piper’s surprise return after a 7 year absence; Shane McMahon’s surprise return after more than a year) (Mr. McMahon, Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology)
The Rock pinned Steve Austin at 17:56 following three consecutive Rock Bottoms, the first two of which Austin kicked out of; after the bout, the Rock briefly embraced his family at ringside before going backstage (Austin’s last match) (The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment)
Brock Lesnar pinned WWE World Champion Kurt Angle with the F5 to win the title at 21:08; during the closing moments of the bout, the challenger attempted a Shooting Star Press but missed Angle and landed awkwardly on his head; after the bout, the two men shook hands and embraced out of respect (Angle’s last match for 3 months) (Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain, The True Story of WrestleMania)
Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, and AJ were in attendance for the show
Pay-per-view bouts – included a Hall of Fame segment showcasing Bobby Heenan, Harley Race, Superstar Billy Graham, Don Muraco, Greg Valentine, the Junkyard Dog, Tito Santana, Big John Studd, Sgt. Slaughter, Pete Rose, and Jesse Ventura; featured an interview by Ventura with Donald Trump, who sat ringside for the event; the Harlem Boys Choir performed ‘America the Beautiful’ to begin the broadcast; included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for the Raw matches, with Michael Cole & Tazz commentating the Smackdown! bouts
John Cena pinned WWE US Champion the Big Show to win the title at 9:13 with the FU after hitting the champion with a pair of brass knuckles
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Van Dam & Booker T defeated Mark Jindrak & Garrison Cade, the Dudley Boyz, and Rene Dupree & Rob Conway at 7:55 when RVD pinned Conway with the Five Star Frog Splash after Booker hit the scissors kick
Christian pinned Chris Jericho at 14:56 with a roll up and using the tights for leverage after Trish Stratus accidentally raked Jericho in the eyes; after the bout, Trish slapped Jericho and left ringside with Christian
WWE IC Champion Randy Orton, Ric Flair, & Batista defeated the Rock & Mick Foley in a handicap match at 17:09 when Orton pinned Foley with the RKO as Foley prepared to apply the Mandible Claw (Foley’s first match in 4 years; Rock’s first match in 11 months) (Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator)
Torrie Wilson & Sable defeated Stacy Keibler & Jackie Gayda in a Playboy Evening Gown Match when Torrie pinned Jackie with a roll up at 2:41; prior to the bout, all four women disrobed to their bra and panties
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. (w/ Chavo Guerrero Sr.) defeated Nunzio, Shannon Moore, Rey Mysterio Jr., Sho Funaki, the Ultimo Dragon, Jamie Noble, Billy Kidman, Tajiri, and Akio in a gauntlet match at 10:38; Dragon pinned Moore with the Asai DDT at 1:18; Noble defeated Dragon via submission with a guillotine; Noble pinned Funaki with an inside cradle; Nunzio was counted-out at 4:15; Kidman pinned Noble at 6:08; Mysterio pinned Kidman at 7:35; Mysterio pinned Tajiri at 8:38; Akio couldn’t pariticpate after Tajiri accidentally blew mist into his face; Chavo pinned Rey by holding onto Chavo Sr. outside the ring
Bill Goldberg pinned Brock Lesnar at 13:48 with the spear and Jackhammer; after the bout, guest referee Steve Austin hit the Stunner on Lesnar before doing the same to Goldberg (Lesnar and Goldberg’s last match in the WWE) (Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection)
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty defeated the Acolytes, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas, and Doug & Danny Basham when Rikishi pinned Danny with a sit-down splash at 6:05
WWE Women’s Champion Victoria pinned Molly Holly at 4:56 by reversing a neckbreaker submission hold into a backslide; due to prematch stipulations, Molly had her head shaved bald after the bout
WWE World Champion Eddie Guerrero pinned Kurt Angle at 21:30 with an inside cradle and using the ropes for leverage after avoiding the ankle lock by unlacing his boot
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) pinned Kane with the tombstone at 6:56; prior to the bout, druids holding torches lined each side of the aisle as Taker walked to the ring (Taker’s return after a 4-month absence) (Bearer’s surprise return after a nearly 4-year absence) (Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker, The Undertaker: 15-0)
Chris Benoit defeated World Heavyweight Champion Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the title at 24:07 when Triple H submitted to the Crippler Crossface; after the bout, WWE World Champion Eddie Guerrero came out to congratulate Benoit; following the telecast, Benoit’s family came out to celebrate the victory as well; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated and PWInsider Match of the Year (Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story)
Booker T (w/ Sharmell) won a 30-man battle royal by last eliminating Chris Masters at 11:36
Order of elimination: the Hurricane by Luther Reigns (1:06); Reigns by Masters & WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Tajiri (1:35); Scotty 2 Hotty by Masters (2:42); Sho Funaki by Masters (2:45); Spike Dudley by Masters (2:47); Billy Kidman by Masters (2:50); Charlie Haas by Maven & Gene Snitsky (3:20); Maven by Booker (3:59); Val Venis by John Heidenreich (5:25); Simon Dean by Heidenreich (5:48); Sylvian Grenier by Heidenreich (6:00); Rosey by Heidenreich (6:19); Rhyno by Hardcore Holly (6:39); Rob Conway by Booker (6:54); Doug Basham by WWE Raw Tag Team Champion William Regal (6:55); Danny Basham by Regal (6:57); Tyson Tomko by WWE US Champion Orlando Jordan (7:36); Akio by Viscera (7:45); Holly by Masters (7:53); Regal by Heidenreich (7:57); Orlando by Snitsky (8:08); WWE Cruiserweight Champion Paul London by Heidenreich (8:30); Tajiri by Heidenreich (8:48); Heidenreich by Snitsky (8:50); Snitsky by Mark Jindrak (9:14); Jindrak by Masters (9:30); Nunzio by Masters (10:08); Viscera by Booker (11:04); Masters by Booker via a Harlem side kick (WrestleMania 21)
Pay-per-view bouts – included Lilian Garcia performing “America the Beautiful” to begin the broadcast; featured a “Gladiator” WrestleMania commercial featuring Steve Austin; included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for the Raw matches, with Michael Cole & Tazz covering the Smackdown! matches; featured Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, Marg Helgenberger from CSI, and David Arquette in attendance; included a segment in which Eugene was interrupted in the ring by Muhammad Hassan & Daiviari, with both men attacking him until Hulk Hogan made the save, threw both men out of the ring, and posed for the fans; featured Steve Austin as the guest of Piper’s Pit in which Carlito Caribbean Cool interrupted both men, attacked Piper, and then sustained the Stunner from Austin; moments later, after sharing several beers, Austin hit the Stunner on Piper as well; included Gene Okerlund hosting a Hall of Fame segment in which he recognized Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Bob Orton Jr., Paul Orndorff, and Jimmy Hart
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion Eddie Guerrero at 12:39 by reversing a backbreaker attempt into a hurricanrana; after the bout, the two men shook hands
Edge defeated Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko), WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin, and Kane in a ladder match at 15:20 after knocking Benoit off the top with a chair shot; due to pre-match stipulations, Edge earned a Raw world title shot for whenever he wants within 1 complete year (The Ladder Match)
The Undertaker pinned Randy Orton by reversing a tombstone attempt into one of his own at 14:16; late in the bout, Bob Orton Jr. interfered on behalf of his son, even using the arm cast, but was eventually kicked off the ring apron by Taker (The Undertaker: 15-0, The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania)
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus pinned Christy Hemme (w/ Lita) with the Chick Kick at 4:43
Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels via submission with the ankle lock into the heel hook at 27:27 after Michaels had been in the hold for 2 full minutes; voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated and PWInsider.com Match of the Year (Shawn Michaels: His Journey)
Akebono defeated the Big Show in a sumo match at 1:03 with a throw that sent Show tumbling to the floor; the ring posts were taken down for the match; after the bout, Show congratulated Akebono
John Cena pinned WWE World Champion John Bradshaw Layfield to win the title at 11:27 with the FU after avoiding the Clothesline from Hell (The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania)
Batista pinned World Heavyweight Champion Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) with the sit-down powerbomb to win the title at 21:34; prior to the bout, Motorhead performed the champion’s theme song as Triple H made his way to the ring (The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania, Batista: I Walk Alone)
Viscera won an 18-man interpromotional battle royal by last eliminating Gene Snitsky at 9:03; after the bout, Viscera kissed Lilian Garcia at ringside
Order of elimination: Simon Dean by Snitsky after kicking him in the face as Dean attempted to cut a promo (0:03); Rob Conway by Stevie Richards as Conway stood on the turnbuckle and punched Richards in the corner (0:51); Sho Funaki by Trevor Murdoch via a catapult after Funaki missed a dropkick (1:03); Lance Cade by William Regal via a backdrop (1:18); Richards by Goldust via a butt bump as Richards stood on the apron and played to the fans (1:50); Matt Striker by Road Warrior Animal after punching Striker off the top rope (2:02); Super Crazy by Murdoch & Eugene as Crazy stood on the turnbuckle and was punching Eugene in the corner (2:27); Goldust by Psychosis (2:39); Regal by Snitsky after Snitsky knocked down both Regal & Eugene as they were hugging (2:58); Eugene by WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Johnny Nitro & Joey Mercury (w/ Melina) following the Snapshot (3:20); Murdoch by Psychosis via a headscissors over the top as Psychosis sat on the top rope (4:00); Psychosis by Tyson Tomko via a boot to the face as Psychosis stood on the ring apron (4:04); Nitro & Mercury by Viscera after climbing on top of both and dry humping them from behind and then throwing Mercury into Nitro with both men falling over the top (7:45); Tomko by Snitsky after Snitsky accidentally kicked Tomko in the face when Animal moved out of the way (7:57); Animal by Viscera after Snitsky kicked Viscera as Animal was up on his shoulders in a Samoan Drop position (8:44); Snitsky eliminated himself when Viscera avoided a boot to the face, crotched himself on the top rope, and fell to the floor; Michael Cole & Tazz provided commentary for the bout
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Michelle Williams performing “America, the Beautiful” to open the show; included Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for Raw and Michael Cole & Tazz on commentary for Smackdown!; featured a Hall of Fame Class of 2006 segment featuring Gene Okerlund (escorted by Kristal), Sensational Sherri (escorted by Ted Dibiase), Tony Atlas (escorted by Victoria), Verne Gagne (escorted by Kristal), William Perry (escorted by Melina), the Blackjacks (escorted by Maria), and Eddie Guerrero (accepted by his wife Vickie, escorted by Chavo Guerrero Jr.); prior to the segment, Howard Finkel announced that Bret Hart would not appear because he felt uncomfortable participating; included the announcement that WrestleMania 23 would take place April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Kane & the Big Show defeated Carlito Caribbean Cool & Chris Masters at 6:43 when Kane pinned Carlito with the chokeslam after Masters accidentally struck his partner and was knocked to the floor by Kane; after the bout, the challengers argued over the loss
Rob Van Dam defeated Matt Hardy, Finlay, Bobby Lashley, Ric Flair, and WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin in a Money in the Bank ladder match at 12:22 after knocking Hardy and Benjamin off a neighboring ladder, sending both men to the floor; Flair was helped backstage at the 3-minute mark following a superplex off the ladder but returned minutes later; due to pre-match stipulations, RVD earned a world title shot that could be cashed in at any time within 1 full year
John Bradshaw Layfield (w/ Jillian Hall) pinned WWE US Champion Chris Benoit to win the title at 9:47 by rolling through while caught in the Crippler Crossface and grabbing the ropes for leverage
Edge (w/ Lita) pinned Mick Foley in a hardcore match at 14:37 by pinning him outside the ring after spearing Foley off the apron and through a flaming table; Joey Styles did guest commentary for the bout, subbing for Jim Ross (Mick Foley Greatest Hits & Misses: Hardcore Edition, The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania, Edge: A Decade of Decadence)
The Boogeyman defeated Booker T & Sharmell in a handicap match at 3:54 by pinning Booker with a double choke sit-down powerbomb; moments earlier, Sharmell ran out of the match after the Boogeyman, with worms in his mouth, kissed her on the lips
Mickie James pinned WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus to win the title at 8:50 with the Chick Kick
The Undertaker defeated Mark Henry in a casket match at 9:27 following a plancha to the floor and the tombstone (The Undertaker: 15-0)
Shawn Michaels pinned Vince McMahon in a no holds barred match at 18:27 with the superkick, moments after an elbow drop off a ladder onto Vince, laid across a table in the ring with a garbage can on his head; the Spirit Squad interfered on behalf of McMahon during the early moments but were fought off by Michaels; mid-way through the match, Shane McMahon came ringside but was eventually handcuffed to the ring ropes by Michaels; after the bout, Vince gave Michaels the finger as he was carried backstage on a stretcher
Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and Randy Orton to win the title at 9:25 by pinning Orton with the 619 and West Coast Pop; prior to the bout, POD performed “Booyaka 619” during Mysterio’s entrance; after the match, Mysterio was congratulated on the entrance stage by Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Vickie Guerrero (Rey Mysterio: Biggest Little Man, The Greatest Superstars of WrestleMania, WWE’s Top 50 Superstars of All Time)
Torrie Wilson pinned Candice Michelle in a Playboy pillow fight at 3:55 with a roll up after avoiding a charge in the corner
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Triple H via submission with the STFU at 22:04; prior to the bout, the challenger appeared on the entrance stage sitting on a throne and wearing a crown, similar to that of Conan the Barbarian; the champion’s entrance consisted of a 1920s-style car driven out to the ring with several men in trench coats and tommy guns surrounding the ring, with Cena then appearing and firing blanks with his own tommy gun (the debut of Triple H’s “Bow Down to the King” by Motorhead) (one of the men with tommy guns was CM Punk) (The True Story of WrestleMania)
Ric Flair & Carlito Caribbean Cool defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Gregory Helms in a lumberjack match when Carlito pinned Guerrero with the Back Cracker; lumberjacks for the bout included: Viscera, Cryme Tyme, Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas, Robbie & Rory McAllister, Super Crazy, Val Venis, Johnny Nitro, Jim Duggan, Eugene, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, Kenny Dykstra, Daivari, Shannon Moore, Sylvian Grenier, Deuce & Domino, WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick, Mike Mizanin, Vito, Scotty 2 Hotty, Jimmy Wang Yang, Jamie Noble, Sho Funaki, Balls Mahoney, Little Guido, and Snitsky
Pay-per-view bouts – included Aretha Franklin performing “America, the Beautiful;” featured Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for Raw, Michael Cole & John Bradshaw Layfield on commentary for Smackdown!, and Joey Styles & Tazz on commentary for ECW; included footage from the premiere of “The Condemned” the previous Friday at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, with comments from fans, WWE World Champion John Cena, Triple H, Ken Kennedy, Ron Simmons, and Candice Michelle; featured a backstage segment with Eugene and Cryme Tyme in which Cryme Tyme danced with Brooke, Kelly Kelly, and Layla; moments later, Mae Young and the Fabulous Moolah appeared and began dancing with Eugene, with Slick then appearing and dancing as well until Dusty Rhodes interrupted and said they couldn’t have a dance party without him; IRS, Sgt. Slaughter, Gerald Brisco, and Jimmy Hart then joined in as well until they all stopped briefly to see Ricky Steamboat, also dancing, in his karate attire; Ron Simmons then appeared and said “Damn;” members of the Detroit Tigers were shown in attendance; included a backstage segment with Donald Trump and former Miss USA Tara Conner until the Boogeyman appeared behind them, with Trump telling Boogeyman to get him a sandwich; featured footage from the previous night’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony; included Howard Finkal introducing the 2007 Hall of Fame Class to the crowd; featured a backstage segment with Vince and Stephanie McMahon in which Vince spoke to his granddaughter and cut a promo on what he would do to Trump later in the night; Thomas “Hitman” Hearns was in attendance for the crowd; included footage from the pre-show lumberjack tag team match in which Ric Flair & Carlito Caribbean Cool defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Gregory Helms; featured a closing WrestleMania 23 music video to the tune of Default’s “The Memory Will Never Die” and Saliva’s “Ladies and Gentlemen”:
Smackdown! – 12/28/07: Ken Kennedy defeated Booker T (w/ Sharmell), CM Punk, Edge, Randy Orton, Finlay, Jeff & Matt Hardy in a Money in the Bank ladder match at 19:10 after hitting Punk off the ladder with another ladder; Edge was taken backstage on a stretcher after sustaining a sit-down splash off the top of a ladder in the ring onto Edge, who was laid across a ladder from the apron to the barricade; all three commentary teams worked the match; after the contest, Todd Grisham interviewed Kennedy backstage, who warned all the champions he would be coming for them (Ladder Match 2: Crash & Burn)
The Great Khali pinned Kane at 5:32 with one foot on his chest after hitting the tree slam; after the bout, Khali choked Kane out with his own steel chain
WWE US Champion Chris Benoit pinned MVP with the diving headbutt at 9:21
Smackdown! – 12/28/07: The Undertaker pinned World Heavyweight Champion Batista to win the title at 15:48 with the tombstone after ramming the champion into the corner; Teddy Long introduced both men to the ring before the match; the ECW announce table was destroyed during the match (The Undertaker: 15-0, Batista: I Walk Alone, The Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century)
Rob Van Dam, Sabu, the Sandman, & Tommy Dreamer defeated Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker, & Kevin Thorn (w/ Ariel) at 6:28 when Van Dam pinned Striker with the Five Star Frog Splash; prior to the bout, the ECW Originals came through the crowd to the ring
ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley (w/ Donald Trump) pinned WWE IC Champion Umaga (w/ Vince McMahon & Armando Allejandro Estrada) in a non-title match with the spear at 13:04 after guest referee Steve Austin avoided Umaga’s thumb strike to the throat and dropped him with the Stunner; during McMahon’s entrance, Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith, Miss USA 2000 Lynnette Cole, and Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera were shown in the crowd giving him a thumbs down; Trump was escorted ringside by former Miss USA Tara Conner; Estrada was taken out of the match early on after a powerslam from Lashley; Shane McMahon came out mid-way through the bout and briefly took over as a replacement referee until Austin knocked him out on the floor; pre-match stipuations stated if Trump or Vince’s representative lost, that man would have his head shaved bald; after the match, Austin fought off an attack from Shane and dropped him with the Stunner; moments later, Lashley chased Vince up the aisle and carried him back to the ring where he sustained a Stunner from Austin; Vince was then shaved bald by Lashley and Trump in a barber’s chair placed in the ring; after Vince was bald, Austin dropped Trump with the Stunner (History of WWE)
WWE Women’s Champion Melina pinned Ashley with a roll over at 3:14 in a lumberjill match; after the bout, Ashley shoved Melina to the floor, prompting a fight between all the lumberjills; lumberjills for the bout included Brooke, Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Layla, Victoria, Michelle McCool, Maria, Kristal, Jillian Hall, and Trinity
WWE World Champion & WWE Raw Tag Team Champion John Cena defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Shawn Michaels via submission with the STFU at 28:22; after the bout, the two men had a confrontation outside the ring with Michaels walking off without shaking Cena’s hand
Shown live on WWE.com: Kane won a 24-man battle royal by last eliminating Mark Henry with a boot to the face at 6:23; stipulations stated the winner would earn a ECW World Title shot later in the night; order of elimination: Deuce by Festus via a boot as Deuce was on the ring apron (0:33); Domino by Festus via a hiptoss (0:38); Jim Duggan by the Great Khali (1:08); Stevie Richards by Elijah Burke after sustaining the Elijah Express as Richards was on the apron (1:30); Burke by Kane via a choke throw (1:41); WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin by Jamie Noble via a headscissors over the top (1:57); Shannon Moore & Jimmy Wang Yang by Henry via a double backdrop (2:51); Jesse by Trevor Murdoch (2:57); Murdoch by Festus (3:12); Festus by Lance Cade after grabbing Festus’ boot as he attempted to kick Cade (3:27); Brian Kendrick and Cade were eliminated when both men fell over the top following a Kendrick cross body (3:36); Kofi Kingston by Henry via a press slam (4:08); WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes by Chuck Palumbo via a boot to the face as Rhodes sat on the top rope (4:21); Noble by Palumbo via a boot to the face as Noble was on the apron after being knocked over the top but climbing on the backs of eliminated wrestlers to avoid touching the floor (4:50); Palumbo by Khali following a chop to the head (4:55); Khali by Tommy Dreamer, WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly, Henry, & Snitsky (5:15); Holly by Snitsky (5:22); Dreamer by Henry (5:22); Snitsky by Henry following a clothesline from behind (5:54); Henry by Kane following a boot to the face (WrestleMania 24, The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured an opening segment where four fighter jets flew over the stadium; included John Legend performing “America the Beautiful;” featured Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for Raw, Michael Cole & Jonathan Coachman on commentary for Smackdown!, and Joey Styles & Tazz on commentary for ECW; included Kim Kardashian conducting a backstage interview with Ken Kennedy regarding his participation in the upcoming Money in the Bank match; featured footage from the previous night’s WWE Hall of Fame induction; included Howard Finkel introducing the Hall of Fame Class of 2008 – Jack & Jerry Brisco, Gordon Solie, Rocky Johnson, Peter Maivia, Eddie Graham, Mae Young, and Ric Flair; the families of Solie and Flair represented them while Mike Graham represented his father; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Snoop Dogg regarding his participation as a guest referee later in the show, with Dogg noting he had a lot in common with Festus, who stood beside him; moments later, Santino Marella interrupted and threatened Snoop if he tried anything illegal during the women’s tag team match; moments later, Snoop pulled out a timekeeper’s bell and rang it, with Festus then chasing off Santino; Dogg then said he got the bell from Mick Foley, with Foley then talking like Snoop before pulling out a Snoop Dogg Mr. Socko; included a text poll asking fans who they thought would win the bout between John Cena, Triple H, and WWE World Champion Randy Orton; featured backstage footage of Floyd Mayweather and his entourage; included a tale of the tape to hype the Mayweather vs. Big Show match; included an in-ring segment in which Raven Symone announced 50 kids from 50 states were in attendance for WrestleMania thanks to the WWE and the Make A Wish Foundation; featured Mike Adamle conducting a backstage interview with Ric Flair regarding his upcoming career threatening match against Shawn Michaels; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with World Heavyweight Champion Edge regarding his upcoming title defense against the Undertaker, during which Edge made mention of being in attendance for WrestleMania VI and seeing his hero Hulk Hogan lose and, with it, he lost his innocence; he then said he would crush everyone else’s hopes and dreams by beating Taker; featured a WrestleMania vignette in which Batista speared a man on the beach and then left with his woman; included an in-ring announcement by Kardashian in which it was announced a new attendance record had been made in the venue, with 74,635 fans on hand; Freddie Prinze Jr. was shown in attendance:
John Bradshaw Layfield pinned Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) in a Belfast Brawl at 8:37 with the Clothesline from Hell after hitting Finlay in the knee with a kendo stick as Finlay attempted to use the ring steps as a weapon (Hornswoggle’s surprise return after a 3-week absence)
CM Punk defeated WWE US Champion MVP, WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho, WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Ken Kennedy, and Carlito in a Money in the Bank match at 13:54 after Jericho’s legs became stuck in the ladder; all three commentary teams provided commentary for the match; stipulations stated the winner would receive a world title shot to be used anytime within the following year; late in the match, Matt Hardy came out of the crowd and dropped MVP with a Twist of Fate off the top of the ladder (Hardy’s surprise return after a 5-month absence) (The True Story of WrestleMania Blu-ray, CM Punk: Best in the World)
Batista pinned Umaga at 7:07 in an interpromotional match with a spinebuster and botched sit-down powerbomb after Umaga struck his head on the ringpost; prior to the bout, Teddy Long and William Regal were introduced in the ring; Long and Regal then introduced Batista and Umaga, respectively; Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler provided commentary for the bout; Umaga received some audible cheers and Batista some boos during the contest
Kane pinned ECW World Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. with the chokeslam to win the title at the 11-second mark after Kane came out of the crowd and up behind Guerrero to begin the contest; Armando Estrada served as the guest ring announcer for the bout (The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane)
Shawn Michaels pinned Ric Flair with the superkick at 20:25 after waiting on Flair to stagger to his feet and then saying, “I’m sorry, I love you;” pre-match stipulations stated Flair would have to retire if he lost; prior to the bout, Flair’s family was shown sitting ringside; Smackdown! referee Charles Robinson was the official for the match; after the bout, Flair embraced his family and aknowledged the crowd as the audience chanted “Thank you, Ric;” voted PWInsider.com Match of the Year (Flair’s last match) (Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection)
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Melina (w/ Santino Marella) defeated Maria & Ashley in a lumberjack match at 5:58 when Phoenix pinned Maria with a fisherman buster after Maria became distracted by Jerry Lawler punching an interfering Santino on the floor; lumberjacks for the bout included Mickie James, Jillian Hall, Layla, Cherry, Victoria, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Katie Lea, Michelle McCool, and Eve; prior to the bout, Snoop Dogg, the MC for the match, drove ringside in a pimped out golf cart, escorted by the lumberjacks; before giving the ring introductions, Snoop had the fans “Whooo” in tribute to Ric Flair; he then took a ringside seat in a throne; mid-way through the bout, the lights in the arena went out, with a spotlight then being used to light the remainder of the match; after the contest, Snoop dropped Santino with a clothesline, helped Maria to her feet, and then kissed her
WWE World Champion Randy Orton defeated Triple H and John Cena in a No DQ, No Count-Out match at 14:10 by pinning Cena after Triple H dropped Cena with the Pedigree and Orton kicked Triple H in the head as Triple H had Cena covered; prior to the bout, the Jones High School marching band, out of Orlando, performed Cena’s theme song to bring him to the ring; following Cena’s entrance, the results of the fan text poll were shown in which 52% said Cena would win, 40% said Triple H would win, and 8% said Orton would win (Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator)
WBC Welterweight Champion Floyd Mayweather (w/ several cornermen) defeated the Big Show in a no holds barred match via KO at 11:36 after landing a low blow, three chair shots to the head, and finishing by punching Show in the face with a pair of brass knucks; stipulations stated the bout could be won via pinfall, submission, or knock out; late in the bout, Show fought off one of Mayweather’s corner men and dropped him with the chokeslam after he hit Show with a chair (The Big Show: A Giant’s World)
The Undertaker defeated World Heavyweight Champion Edge via submission to win the title at 23:48 with the leglock choke as Edge attempted a cover on the challenger after hitting the spear; during the champion’s entrance, Teddy Long wheeled Vickie Guerrero onto the entrance stage where she kissed Edge good luck; during the final moments of the match, Curt Hawkins & Zach Ryder attempted to interfere on behalf of the champion but were easily fought off by Taker (WWE’s Top 50 Superstars of All Time, You Think You Know Me? The Story of Edge)
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo Colon defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin in a unification lumberjack match when Primo pinned Morrison with the Back Stabber at 8:21 after avoiding a reverse suplex attempt; lumberjacks for the match included: the Great Khali, Cryme Tyme, Jamie Noble, Charlie Haas, Hurricane Helms, Goldust, Jimmy Wang Yang, Evan Bourne, R Truth, William Regal, Paul Burchill, Tommy Dreamer, ECW World Champion Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, The Brian Kendrick, Ezikiel Jackson, Mike Knox, Vladimir Kozlov, Curt Hawkins & Zach Ryder; Todd Grisham & Matt Striker provided commentary for the bout (WrestleMania 25)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Howard Finkel introducing Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls to perform “America, the Beautiful;” included Jim Ross, Michael Cole, & Jerry Lawler on commentary; featured footage from the WrestleMania Axxess, the WWE art auction, and coverage from the local media, along with comments from fans, international fans, and Matt Striker; included Lilian Garcia introducing Kid Rock, who perfomed “Bawitdaba,” “Rock n Roll Jesus,” “Cowboy,” and “All Summer Long;” featured an ad for the National Guard; included an ad for “Legends of WrestleMania;” NASCAR driver Carl Edwards and Evander Holyfield were shown in attendance; included an ad for the 2009 WWE Draft on April 13; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 26 on March 28, 2010 in Phoenix, AZ; included the introduction of the WWE 2009 Hall of Fame Class – Terry & Dory Funk Jr., Bill Watts, Howard Finkel, Koko B. Ware, the Von Erichs – represented by David Von Erich, Ricky Steamboat, and Steve Austin; moments later, Austin went backstage and returned by driving an ATV around the ring; Austin then celebrated in the ring and drank a few beers before sharing one with Ross at ringside and then throwing a cooler of beer into the ring; Austin then drove back up the aisle on the ATV; featured an ad for Backlash 2009; featured a closing video package highlighting the show, set to the tune of “Touched” by Vast and “Shoot to Thrill” and “War Machine” by AC/DC:
CM Punk defeated Christian, WWE US Champion MVP, Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas), Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle), Shelton Benjamin, Kane, and Kofi Kingston in a Money in the Bank ladder match at 14:24 after repeatedly kicking Kane in the head and knocking him off the top of an adjacent ladder (Ladder Match 2: Crash & Burn, WWE Superstar Collection: Kofi Kingston)
Santina Marella won a 25-diva battle royal at around the 7-minute mark by last eliminating WWE Women’s Champion Melina and Beth Phoenix; other participants included: Kelly Kelly, Layla, Jillian Hall, Nikki & Brie Bella, Michelle McCool, Rosa Mendez, Maria, Eve, Katie Lea, Gail Kim, Alicia Fox, WWE Divas Champion Maryse, Mickie James, Natalya Neidhart, Tiffany, Victoria, Sunny, Joy Giovanni, Jackie Gayda, Torrie Wilson, and Molly Holly; Kid Rock performed “So Hott” as the divas came out for the match; Mae Young was the guest timekeeper for the match; after the contest, the winner referred to himself as “Santina Marella,” Santino’s sister, and was presented with a sash and crown by Candice Michelle
Chris Jericho defeated Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, & Jimmy Snuka (w/ Ric Flair) in a handicap elimination match at 8:57; prior to the bout, Flair hugged Mickey Rourke, who sat ringside for the match; Snuka submitted to the Walls of Jericho at 3:46; Jericho pinned Piper with a running enzuiguri at 4:45; Jericho pinned Steamboat with the Code Breaker; after the bout, Flair fought off Jericho until Jericho gained the upper hand and hit the Code Breaker; moments later, Jericho grabbed the mic and said he was the best in the world and did what he said he was going to do; he then called out Rourke at ringside and said he wanted him to come in the ring and apologize for what he said about Jericho months ago; after being called a coward, Rourke climbed in the ring and backed Jericho into the corner after a series of missed jabs; moments later, Rourke landed a left hand punch which knocked Jericho to the mat; Rourke then celebrated in the ring with Flair
Matt Hardy pinned Jeff Hardy in an extreme rules match at 13:15 after putting Jeff’s head in a steel chair and hitting the Twist of Fate, moments after avoiding a leapfrog legdrop off the top of a ladder over another ladder set up in the ring
Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned WWE IC Champion John Bradshaw Layfield to win the title at the 21-second mark with the 619 and splash off the top; prior to the bout, JBL cut a promo on his way to the ring in which he said he had a vision that he would return to Texas as champion at a time when the state had no champions or real men and that the fans needed him as a local hero; Mysterio came out for the bout dressed as Heath Ledger’s Joker; after the bout, JBL grabbed the mic and said he quit (WWE Superstar Collection: Rey Mysterio)
The Undertaker pinned Shawn Michaels at 30:43 with the tombstone after catching Michaels attempting a moonsault off the top; prior to the bout, Michaels was lowered from the rafters while Taker rose from underneath the entrance stage; during the contest, Taker landed awkwardly on his head after hitting a dive to the floor, with Michaels pulling a cameraman (Sim Snuka) in front of him to take the blow; after the bout, a graphic appeared on the entrance screen which read “17-0;” voted Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and PWInsider.com (Shawn Michaels: My Journey, The True Story of WrestleMania Blu-ray)
John Cena defeated World Heavyweight Champion Edge and the Big Show to win the title at 14:44 by pinning Show after dropping Show with the FU and then dropping Edge with the FU on top of Show; prior to the bout, several dozen men dressed as Cena lined the aisle to the tune of Cena’s “Basic Thuganomics” and did the “You can’t see me” hand sign until Cena made his entrance to “My Time is Now;” after the bout, Cena celebrated into the crowd
WWE World Champion Triple H pinned Randy Orton at 23:35 with the Pedigree after kicking the challenger in the head and hitting him with a sledgehammer while the referee was knocked out; prior to the ring entrances, Triple H was shown in a backstage hallway with Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon; in his entrance, Triple H threw his sledgehammer through a plate window positioned at the entranceway, then walked through the debris; stipulations stated Triple H could lose the title via disqualification or count-out; after the bout, Triple H stood above Orton and held up the title belt
Yoshi Tatsu won a 26-man battle royal at 8:31 by last eliminating Zack Ryder; other participants included: Cryme Tyme, David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd, Finlay, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Mark Henry, Goldust, Santino Marella, Primo Colon, Jimmy Wang Yang, Slam Master J, the Great Khali, Caylen Croft & Trent Baretta, Tyler Reks, Chris Masters, Sho Funaki, Vance Archer, Mike Knox, Carlito, Vladimir Kozlov, William Regal, and Luke Gallows; eliminations: Primo by Archer (0:09); Slam Master J by Knox (0:16); Croft & Barretta by Henry via a double clothesline (0:57); Guerrero by Henry via a press slam onto Croft & Barretta on the floor (1:08); Henry by Khali following a chop to the head (1:15); Khali by Gallows, Ryder, Tatsu, Masters, Archer, Carlito, Know, Shad, JTG, & Funaki (1:25); Gallows by Shad & JTG following a double clothesline (1:44); JTG by Shad (1:52); Masters by Archer via a boot to the face as Masters had the full nelson on Reks (4:05); Smith & Kidd by Kozlov (4:33); Kozlov by Knox following a clothesline from behind (4:37); Funaki by Knox (4:49); Goldust by Knox after Knox pulled down the top rope (4:51); Shad by Regal when Regal pulled down the top rope (5:02); Regal by Finlay (5:08); Reks by Ryder & Archer (5:14); Santino by Finlay after Santino hit the Cobra on Archer and Ryder (6:12); Yang by Archer via a boot to the face as Yang was on the apron (6:41); Archer by Tatsu following a dropkick to the back (6:46); moments later, Hornswoggle came out from under the ring and distracted Knox so Finlay could hit him with the shillelagh; Hornswoggle followed by hitting the frog splash; Carlito by Finlay via a clothesline (7:53); Finlay and Knox by Ryder as Finlay attempted to eliminate Knox (8:11); moments later, Ryder cleared Hornswoggle from the ring; Ryder by Tatsu; prior to the bout, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, Heath Slater, and Michael Tarver appeared at the entrance stage to watch the bout; Michael Cole, Matt Striker, & Jerry Lawler provided commentary for the match (WrestleMania 26)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured an opening fly over by three jets; included Fantasia performing “America the Beautiful;” featured Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, & Matt Striker on commentary; included footage of media appearances and WrestleMania Axxess events during the week, featuring John Cena Kofi Kingston, Hornswoggle, WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin, Sgt. Slaughter, Santino Marella, John Morrison, Brie & Nikki Bella, Bret Hart, the Big Show, World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho and comments from international fans who flew in for the event; featured a “Don’t try this at home” PSA; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Vickie Guerrero, surrounded by WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, WWE Divas Champion Maryse, Alicia Fox, and Layla; moments later, Guerrero took the mic and spoke about her WrestleMania in-ring debut later in the show; Vickie then brought Jillian Hall into camera view, who sang Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” until the other divas walked off; after Vickie too walked off, Santino walked in, advertised Slim Jim, and then bit into one – causing Jillian to first become Mae Young, Gene Okerlund, and finally Melina; featured an ad promoting Extreme Rules 2010; included footage from the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony; featured Howard Finkel introducing the Hall of Fame class – Mad Dog Vachon, wheeled out by a Bella twin, Antonio Inoki, Bob Ueker, Wendi Richter, Gorgeous George – represented by his ex wife and helped out by the other Bella – Stu Hart – represented by the Hart family – and Ted Dibiase; included a Slim Jim commercial featuring Edge; featured a recap of the Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon feud to the tune of Civil Twilight’s “Human;” included the announcement that WrestleMania 27 would be held April 3, 2011 in Atlanta, GA; featured an announcement from Justin Roberts that 72,219 were in attendance for the show; included footage from the 26-man battle royal, held before the show aired on pay-per-view, in which Yoshi Tatsu eliminated Zack Ryder to win:
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show defeated John Morrison & R-Truth at 3:24 when Show pinned Morrison following a punch as Morrison attempted the Flying Chuck on Miz after Show tagged himself in to the match
Randy Orton defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes at 9:02 by pinning Dibiase with the RKO after avoiding Dream Street; late in the bout, Orton kicked Rhodes in the head
Jack Swagger defeated WWE IC Champion Drew McIntyre, Kane, Christian, MVP, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, and Dolph Ziggler at 13:44 after ramming the briefcase into Christian’s face as both men stood atop a ladder
Triple H pinned Sheamus with the Pedigree at 12:10; late in the bout, Triple H kicked out of Sheamus’s boot to the face
Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned CM Punk (w/ Luke Gallows & Serena) at 6:30 with the 619 and springboard splash after causing Punk to collide with Gallows on the apron; prior to the bout, Punk cut a promo on his way to the ring in which he said he was not a monster but rather a savior and could save the 70,000 fans in attendance; Punk’s trunks were in the style of the GI Joe franchise of the 1980s; Mysterio dressed in the style of Avatar for the match; mid-way through the match, some in the crowd chanted “CM Punk” while others followed with “sucks;” stipulations stated Mysterio would have to join the Straight Edge Society if he lost
Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon in a no holds barred lumberjack match via submission with the Sharpshooter at 11:09 after repeatedly hitting him with a steel chair; prior to the match, McMahon walked out and said Hart deserved a WrestleMania screwjob and said he found a bunch of lumberjacks; McMahon then introduced the entire Hart Family, including David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya Neidhart who would be supporting McMahon; after Bruce Hart revealed that he would be the guest referee for the match, Bret took the mic and said he knew what Vince was trying to do and that McMahon had been double crossed, then showing that the Harts were actually backing him and not McMahon; after the bout, Hart celebrated with the entire Hart family inside the ring (Hart’s first WWE match in more than 12 years)
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho pinned Edge at 15:47 with the Code Breaker, moments after the challenger kicked out after being hit with the title belt behind the referee’s back; after the bout, Jericho attempted to further injure Edge’s leg but Edge fought back and eventually hit a spear from one commentary table to the other and through the timekeeper’s barricade; moments later, Edge left ringside as trainers tended to Jericho on the floor (Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho)
WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, WWE Divas Champion Maryse, Vickie Guerrero, Alicia Fox, & Layla defeated Beth Phoenix, Eve, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, & Gail Kim at 3:24 when Vickie pinned Kelly with a frog splash
John Cena defeated WWE World Champion Batista to win the title at 13:30 via submission with the STFU after avoiding the sit-down powerbomb; following Batista’s entrance, the United Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team performed at the entrance stage to introduce Cena; both men received mixed reactions; late in the bout, Cena kicked out after sustaining the powerbomb; moments later, Batista kicked out after sustaining the FU; after the match, Cena celebrated at ringside beside fans who wore “We Hate Cena” T-shirts (The True Story of WrestleMania Blu-ray)
The Undertaker pinned Shawn Michaels in a No DQ, no count-out match at 24:01 with a jumping tombstone, moments after Michaels kicked out of the tombstone, struggled to his feet, gave Taker his own thumb across the throat signal, and slapped Taker across the face; prior to the match, Taker came up through the entrance stage and wore a hood rather than his traditional hat; following both men’s entrance, Michaels gave Taker his own thumb across the throat signal; mid-way through the match, Michaels was tended to on the floor by a trainer after sustaining a tombstone on the floor; after the bout, a graphic appeared on the entrance stage which read “18-0;” stipulations stated Michaels would have to retire if he lost; moments later, Taker pulled Michaels to his feet as the crowd chanted “Thank you, Shawn;” the two then shook hands and hugged before Taker left the ring; the crowd chanted “HBK” and “Thank you” as Michaels looked out at the audience, then kneeling and looking up at the sky; Michaels thanked the crowd, left the ring, and waved to them as he made his way backstage, stopping to kneel at the entrance stage and look to the sky again; voted Match of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and PWInsider.com (WWE’s Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010, WWE Superstar Collection: Shawn Michaels)
The Great Khali won an impromptu battle royal by last eliminating WWE US Champion Sheamus at 8:29; the bout was originally Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan in a lumberjack match but referee Charles Robinson stopped the match at 4:19 when the lumberjacks began fighting with the two wrestlers; moments later, Teddy Long appeared and ordered all the wrestlers to compete in a battle royal; Josh Matthews & Matt Striker provided commentary for the match; order of elimination: Tyler Reks by Khali (0:07); Curt Hawkins by Khali (0:17); Yoshi Tatsu by Mark Henry after Henry caught Tatsu coming off the turnbuckle and thew him out (0:35); R-Truth by Jimmy & Jey Uso after the top rope was pulled down (3:55); one Uso by Henry (4:08); the other Uso by Henry (4:11); Henry by Primo Colon, Zack Ryder, & Tyson Kidd (4:20); Primo by Khali (4:31); Ryder by Bryan (4:33); Chavo Guerrero Jr. by Drew McIntyre via a backdrop (5:19); David Hart Smith by Khali via a chop as Smith was on the apron (5:24); JTG by Khali as JTG was on the top rope (5:43); Kidd by Bryan (5:59); Trent Baretta by McIntyre (6:14); Johnny Curtis by Sheamus, William Regal, & McIntyre (6:22); Masters by McIntyre via a boot as Masters was on the apron (6:54); Evan Bourne by Sheamus after Bourne hit the Air Bourne on McIntyre (7:10); Regal by Ted Dibiase Jr. (7:40); Dibiase by McIntyre via a boot to the face after Bryan ducked the move (7:52); McIntyre by Bryan (7:54); Bryan by Sheamus via a boot to the face as both men fought on the apron (8:13); Sheamus by Khali via a clothesline (WrestleMania 27)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured an opening in-ring promo by guest host the Rock in which he noted he was back in Atlanta, riled up the crowd, alluded to John Cena being backstage trying to figure out what Fruity Pebbles T-shirt to wear; included Michael Cole, Josh Matthews, & Jerry Lawler on commentary until the Lawler-Cole match, with Jim Ross & Lawler finishing out the show from there; featured a backstage segment with Snoop Dogg and Teddy Long in which Snoop said he was looking for more talent to go on tour with him; auditions followed: William Regal came out and did a rap, Great Khali & Beth Phoenix sang ‘Summer Lovin’ from Grease, Zack Ryder sang Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ until Roddy Piper came up behind him and knocked him out with a coconut; moments later, Yoshi Tatsu sang Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ while Chris Masters flexed his pecs in tune; finally, Hornswoggle came out, with Long noting Hornswoggle couldn’t speak; after Snoop and Long left, Hornswoggle did a rap while Brie & Nikki Bella danced in the background; included a backstage segment with Rock and WWE Divas Champion Eve in which they talked about WrestleMania, with Rock saying he would make an unforgettable moment with the next person to walk behind him; when Rock turned around, he found Mae Young; Mae then said she was looking for the People’s Strudle; moments later, Eve escorted Mae to her seat, with Rock then coming face to face with Steve Austin and the two shaking hands; featured a backstage segment with the Rock and Gene Okerlund in which Rock said Cena’s biggest fan was supposed to be backstage to confront him, with Pee Wee Herman then appearing; Rock then made fun of anyone who would want to be on the ‘Fruit Loop Troop,’ even bringing out Okerlund dressed up in Cena merchandise; Pee Wee eventually said he wanted to be on Team Bring It and the two bumping fists; included Howard Finkel introducing the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame inductees to the entrance stage – Abdullah the Butcher, Sunny, the Road Warriors & Paul Ellering, Drew Carey, Bob Armstrong, and Jim Duggan, with Shawn Michaels coming out last to his entrance music; featured a video package recapping the WrestleMania week in Atlanta, with comments from fans, Kofi Kingston, Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk, Michael Cole, Booker T, Nikki & Brie Bella, Daniel Bryan, WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin, Eve, Triple H, Natalya Neidhart, John Morrison, Santino Marella, John Cena, and others; several members of the National Guard were shown in attendance; included an in-ring announcement by Justin Roberts in which he said the crowd of 71,617 was the biggest for any entertainment event held at the Georgia Dome:
World Heavyweight Champion Edge (w/ Christian) pinned Alberto Del Rio (w/ Brodus Clay) at 11:09 with the spear, shortly after Christian hit a tornado DDT on the floor on an interfering Clay; Ricardo Rodriguez served as Del Rio’s ring announcer for the bout; after the contest, Edge approached Del Rio’s Rolls Royce parked at the entrance stage, eventually stomping it until Christian brought tire irons for the both of them; Edge then smashed the windows and scratched the car before standing on the hood and holding up the title belt (You Think You Know Me? The Story of Edge)
Cody Rhodes pinned Rey Mysterio Jr. with Crossroads at 12:00 after hitting him with Mysterio’s own leg brace behind the referee’s back as Mysterio attempted a dive to the floor; Mysterio dressed as Capt. America for the match; late in the bout, after Rhodes took off Mysterio’s knee brace, Mysterio took off Rhodes’ face mask and put it on himself to use as a weapon (Rhodes’ first appearance with new music and Titantron)
Kofi Kingston (mystery partner, sub. an injured for Vladimir Kozlov), Kane, the Big Show, & Santino Marella defeated WWE IC Champion Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel at 1:35 when Show pinned Slater with the punch to the face after Santino hit the Cobra on Slater
Randy Orton pinned CM Punk at 14:40 with the RKO as Punk attempted a springboard clothesline off the top, moments after Punk avoided a regular RKO inside the ring; Orton’s right knee was heavily taped for the bout (Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator)
Michael Cole (w/ Jack Swagger) defeated Jerry Lawler via reverse decision at 13:45; during his ring entrance, Cole cut a promo on Lawler before saying Ross would go back to making bad BBQ sauce after the show, Lawler would be humiliated, and Austin would raise his hand in victory; Jim Ross, Booker, & Josh Matthews provided commentary for the bout; Austin drove ringside in a four-wheeler; Lawler originally won the match via submission with the ankle lock; moments later, guest referee Steve Austin and Lawler celebrated with beers until Booker T came into the ring and did the Spinarooni; Austin then gave Booker a beer before dropping him with the Stunner; the Raw GM then sent an e-mail, which Matthews read that stated Austin overstepped his role in becoming physical with Cole, thus Cole was the winner; as Cole and Swagger celebrated at the entrance stage, Lawler grabbed Matthews, who read the e-mail, and threw him into the ring where Austin dropped him with the Stunner; Austin then drove up the ramp in his four-wheeler, with Lawler joining Ross on commentary
The Undertaker defeated Triple H via submission in a no holds barred match at 29:21 with the Hell’s Gate; Triple h used Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” to introduce his entrance music, then appeared wearing a skull mask surrounded by soldiers carrying sheilds; Taker used Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave” for his entrance music; both songs were altered for commercial release; at the 3-minute mark, Michael Cole’s protective pod was destroyed during a ringside brawl; Triple H was in the hold about 2 minutes before tapping out; after the contest, “19-0” appeared on the video wall and fireworks went off; moments later, Triple H got to his feet and watched as Taker was tended to by referee Scott Armstrong and a trainer; after Taker collapsed on the floor and couldn’t pull himself back up, a cart was driven to the ring to take him backstage; Mike Rotundo and Dean Malenko were among those helping Taker onto the cart; the crowd then chanted “Undertaker” as he was driven to the back
John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki defeated Dolph Ziggler, Michelle McCool, & Layla (w/ Vickie Guerrero) when Snooki pinned McCool with a handspring splash in the corner and a splash at 4:16; Guerrero did the introductions for her team from the entrance stage; Snooki was heavily booed when she was in the ring
WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley) pinned John Cena in a No DQ, no count-out, no time-limit match at 19:43 after the Rock dropped the champion with the Rock Bottom; prior to his entrance, a video package aired showing Miz in a control room showing footage of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, and the Rock, spliced in with footage from his own MTV and WWE career; after footage was shown of him winning the title, the package began using Nas’ “Hate Me Now;” inflatable letters spelling out “Awesome” were positioned at the entrance stage for Miz’s entrance; a faith-based video appeared on the big screen to introduce Cena’s entrance, showing various hilights of his career as a pastor spoke to God; moments later, a church choir performed Cena’s theme song before he walked out; the match originally ended as a double count-out at 14:43 after Cena tackled the champion into the crowd; moments later, Rock came out and went to read an e-mail from the Raw GM until he said it didn’t matter what the GM thought, tossed the laptop, and took the mic, saying he was the host of WrestleMania and the show wasn’t over; Rock then had the match continue with the added stipulations to determine a winner; after the match, Rock returned to the ring, fought off Miz, hit the Rock Bottom, and the People’s Elbow; Rock then posed to the crowd as the show ended
WWE.com Preshow: WWE Tag Team Champions Primo Colon & Epico (w/ Rosa Mendes) defeated Jimmy & Jey Uso and Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel at 5:02 when Primo pinned one of the Usos with the Back Stabber after the Uso hit the splash off the top onto Gabriel; Matt Striker & Josh Matthews provided commentary for the bout (WrestleMania 28)
Pay-per-view bouts – featured Lilian Garcia performing the national anthem to open the show, followed by a Naval fly over; included Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler on commentary; featured a backstage segment with Mike Mizanin, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, Vickie Guerrero, Nikki & Brie Bella in which Miz told the group that they would win just as he won the previous year at WrestleMania; David Otunga then walked in and introduced John Laurinaitis, who he said would soon be the GM of both Raw and Smackdown; Laurinaitis then told his team that they were creating a moment, like when Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant and Steve Austin wouldn’t submit to Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter; included info on how 100 trips would be awarded for fans to attend WrestleMania 29 at Met Life Stadium; featured a backstage segment with Santino Marella, Mick Foley, and one of the captains from “Deadliest Catch” beside plates of crab legs, with Ron Simmons then walking in, watching them, and saying “Damn;” included a video package on the WWE’s relationship with the National Guard; featured a WWE Kmart ad; included Matt Striker conducting a backstage interview with Shawn Michaels about his guest referee role in the Hell in a Cell match; included Justin Roberts announcing that the show has set the new venue attendance record, with 78,363; following the announcement, fireworks went off overhead; featured a WWE Slim Jim ad with Rey Mysterio Jr., the Big Show, & Eve thanking fans for their support of the National Guard campaign; included footage from the previous night’s WWE 2012 Hall of Fame inductinos of Ron Simmons, Mil Mascaras, the 4 Horsemen, Yokozuna, Mike Tyson, and Edge; featured Howard Finkel introducing the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame Class; included a backstage segment in which Josh Matthews said he was about to interview Flo Rida, with Heath Slater interrupting and saying Matthews should be interviewing him; Flo Rida then walked out, with Slater suggesting they do a duet; after Slater took exception to Flo Rida turning him down, Flo Rida shoved him into the wall and walked off; featured an ad promoting Extreme Rules 2012; Alex Rodriguez and Torrie Wilson were shown in attendance; included a video package recapping the week of WrestleMania events in Miami, with comments from fans, Layla, Mysterio, Marella, Zack Ryder, Alicia Fox, Dolph Ziggler, Mike Mizanin, Randy Orton, James Durbin, Mick Foley, as well as a look at the media attention, and social media attention; the three WrestleMania Reading Challenge winners were shown in attendance; featured a backstage segment with the victorious Team Johnny walking past WWE World Champion CM Punk, with Laurinaitis speaking with Punk about his mindset and said Punk would lose the title if he got himself disqualified; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 29 on April 7, 2012; the pilots that flew over the stadium earlier in the show were later shown in attendance; featured a segment in which Brodus Clay, along with Cameron & Naomi, came out and told all the fans to get on their phones and call their mommas; Clay then introduced his own “mom,” who came out and danced along with her entire bridge club; included an ad promoting GI Joe: Retaliation; featured a video package to promote John Cena vs. the Rock, with comments from Triple H, Big Show, Michaels, Miz, Chris Jericho, and Sheamus to the tune of Fun.’s “We Are Young”:
Sheamus pinned World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan (w/ AJ) to win the title at the 19-second mark with a boot to the face after Bryan kissed AJ on the apron
Kane pinned Randy Orton at 10:57 with a chokeslam off the top; early in the bout, there were chants of “Daniel Bryan”
The Big Show pinned WWE IC Champion Cody Rhodes to win the title at 5:20 with a spear, that ended up being a low blow, and the punch to the face; following Rhodes’ entrance, his video montage making fun of Show’s WrestleMania performances aired on the big screen
Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos defeated WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix & Eve at 6:49 when Menounos pinned Phoenix with a roll up after Menounos & Kelly caused Phoenix to collide with Eve on the apron, knocking Eve to the floor; prior to the bout, a video package on the divas aired to the tune of Madonna’s “Girls Gone Wild;” following Phoenix & Eve’s entrance, footage was shown of them confronting Menounos & Kelly on the set of “Extra;” during the contest, there were brief chants of “Daniel Bryan”
The Undertaker pinned Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match at 30:53 with the tombstone after striking Triple H in the head with his own sledgehammer; Jim Ross joined the commentary team for the match; for his entrance, Triple H walked out from underneath the set of a castle; following Taker’s entrance, he took off his hood to reveal a shaved head; moments later, the cell was lowered to the tune of Metallica’s “The Memory Remains;” at the 17-minute mark, Taker put guest referee Shawn Michaels in the Hell’s Gate, prompting referee Charles Robinson to come out minutes later to briefly take over officiating before sustaining Taker’s chokeslam; later in the bout, Michaels hit the superkick on Taker, with Taker then sustaining Triple H’s Pedigree for a 2 count; after the contest, Michaels helped Taker to his feet in an embrace and raised his hand in victory; during the final moments of the bout, Triple H sustained multiple chair shots, didn’t have the energy to fight back, and then gave Taker a defiant crotch chop, leading to the finish; during the post-match celebration, “20-0” appeared on the big screen as fireworks went off overhead; moments later, both Michaels and Taker helped Triple H to his feet and from the ring; voted Match of the Year by PWInsider.com
David Otunga, Mike Mizanin, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, Drew McIntyre, & Jack Swagger (w/ John Laurinaitis & Vickie Guerrero) defeated WWE US Champion Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston, the Great Khali, R-Truth, Zack Ryder (w/ Eve), & Booker T (w/ Teddy Long, Aksana, & Hornswoggle) at 10:38 when Miz pinned Ryder with the Skull Crushing Finale after Eve climbed in the ring to fist pump with Ryder; Brie Bella provided the ring introduction for Team Johnny while Nikki Bella introduced Team Teddy; stipulations stated the winning GM would run both Raw and Smackdown; after Team Johnny left the ring, Eve kicked Ryder between the legs and went backstage
WWE World Champion CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho via submission with the Anaconda Vice at 22:20; stipulations stated Punk would lose the title if he was disqualified; following Jericho’s entrance, a video package aired recapping the feud between the two; fireworks went off during both men’s entrance; Andy Garcia was shown in the crowd during Punk’s entrance (CM Punk: Best in the World)
The Rock pinned John Cena at 30:34 with the Rock Bottom as Cena attempted his own People’s Elbow; prior to the bout, Sean Combs came out to introduce Machine Gun Kelly, who performed “Invincible;” after the performance, MGK said the match was more than just a wrestling match, it was an ego vs. an underdog and compared himself to Cena, receiving boos in response; following Cena’s entrance, Flo Rida performed “Good Feelin” and “Wild One” at the entrance stage; “Let’s go, Cena” and “Cena sucks” and “Cena” and “Rocky;” after the bout, Rock celebrated in the ring as Cena watched on, sitting on the ramp, before fireworks went off overhead
Pre-show streamed live on WWE.com, Facebook, Samsung, X-box, and YouTube – featured Josh Matthews & Matt Striker on commentary at ringside; included a video package promoting the World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger match; included Scott Stanford, Jim Ross, Kofi Kingston, and Dusty Rhodes with analysis from the skybox; featured a video package on fans who traveled near and far to WrestleMania, to the tune of Diddy Dirty Money’s “I’m Coming Home;” included a video package hyping the Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar match; featured info on how fans could win free tickets to WrestleMania 30 through a text promotion; included Tony Dawson outside the stadium with fans that are tailgating; featured a backstage segment with Mike Mizanin and Snooki about Snooki being the social media ambassador for the show; moments later, WWE IC Champion Wade Barrett interrupted and said he deserved better than to waste his time with Miz and Snooki; Miz then said he would take Barrett’s title; included a video package recapping the history between Ryback and Mark Henry; featured Renee Young conducting a backstage interview with Henry regarding his upcoming match with Ryback; included footage from the WrestleMania press conference, with comments from Vince McMahon, WWE World Champion the Rock, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and John Cena; featured a video package hyping the Undertaker vs. CM Punk match; included comments from fans outside the stadium on who they think will win; featured touts from fans about their favorite WrestleMania moments, including Judah Friedlander from “30 Rock;” included a video package hyping the Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, & Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton, Sheamus, & the Big Show match; featured a video package set to the Civil Twilight’s “Letters from the Sky” to hype Cena vs. the Rock:
Mike Mizanin defeated WWE IC Champion Wade Barrett via submission with the figure-4 to win the title at 4:08
Pay-per-view bouts – featured an opening naration by Gov. Chris Christie; included Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, & John Bradshaw Layfield on commentary; featured a video package set to the Civil Twilight’s “Letters from the Sky” to hype John Cena vs. WWE World Champion the Rock; Snooki, Michael Straham, and Michelle Beadle were shown in attendance; included the commentary team playing with new WWE figures; featured an ad promoting WWE’s partnership with the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games, followed by Lilian Garcia introducing members of the Special Olympics at the entrance stage, beside Stephanie McMaon and Gov. Christie; included info on how fans could win tickets to WrestleMania 30 through a text promotion; featured a Make-A-Wish PSA featuring Cena talking about the wishes he has granted and how others can donate to help grant wishes; included a video package on the Rock, with comments from his fans throughout the US and world; featured a mini concert from Diddy in which he performed ‘Victory,’ ‘Mo Money Mo Problems,’ and ‘I’m Coming Home;’ included a video package hyping the World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger match; featured a video package on the WWE’s partnership with the National Guard, followed by members of the New Jersey National Guard members in attendance being shown; included a video package hyping the Undertaker vs. CM Punk match; featured an ad featuring WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn, Kofi Kingston, and WWE IC Champion Mike Mizanin in which they announced half a million Slim Jims had been donated to the USO; included a video package on Cena focusing on the redemption he looked to achieve through a rematch with the Rock; featured a video package hyping Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar; included an ad promoting Extreme Rules 2013; featured an ad promoting the movie ‘Pain and Gain;’ included a video package recapping the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame; featured Howard Finkel introducing the 2013 Hall of Fame class – Mick Foley, Booker T, Trish Stratus, Bob Backlund, Donald Trump, and Bruno Sammartino; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans; featured the announcement of a new attendance record of 80,676; the scheduled Brodus Clay, Tensai, Cameron & Naomi vs. Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Nikki & Brie Bella match did not take place:
Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, & Roman Reigns defeated Randy Orton, Sheamus, & the Big Show at 10:35 when Ambrose pinned Orton after a spear from Reigns, immediately after Orton hit the RKO on Rollins as Rollins came off the top; prior to the bout, the Shield came through different parts of the crowd; during the closing moments, Show watched and opted not to make the save for Orton after Orton tagged himself into the match; after the contest, Show knocked out his two partners with punches to the face
Mark Henry pinned Ryback at 8:03 after Henry fell on Ryback as Ryback attempted Shellshocked; after the match, Henry came back into the ring where Ryback fought him off and hit the move
WWE Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Kane defeated Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston (w/ AJ) at 6:17 when Bryan pinned Ziggler after a chokeslam from Kane and headbutt off the top, moments after Kane prevented Ziggler from using his Money in the Bank briefcase as a weapon behind the referee’s back
Fandango pinned Chris Jericho at 9:13 with an inside cradle as Jericho attempted the Walls of Jericho; Fandango’s entrance included a dozen female dancers; Jericho’s entrance included fireworks; Jericho bled a little from the forehead during the match (Fandango’s TV in-ring debut)
World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio defeated Jack Swagger (w/ Zeb Colter) via submission with the cross armbreaker at 10:30; following Swagger & Colter’s entrance, Colter cut an anti-immigration promo in which he said New York was a cesspool of “criminals and illegals;” ADR’s entrance included fireworks; Ricardo Rodriguez, on crutches, served as ADR’s ring announcer for the match; during the bout, there were chants of “We want Ziggler”
The Undertaker pinned CM Punk (w/ Paul Heyman) at 22:08 by reversing the Go To Sleep into the tombstone; Living Colour performed Punk’s song live during his entrance; Heyman came to the ring possession of the urn; Taker’s entrance included extras reaching up through mist towards him and, once he reached the ring, fireworks; there were dueling chants for both men during the match; Taker’s left leg read “RIP PB;” late in the match, Punk kicked out of the tombstone, prompting a “This is awesome” chant; moments later, Punk used the urn as a weapon behind the referee’s back; after the bout, Taker kneeled in front of the urn in the ring as “21-0” appeared on the big screen and fireworks went off overhead; voted Match of the Year by PWInsider.com
Triple H (w/ Shawn Michaels) pinned Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) in a no holds barred match at 24:00 after hitting him in the head with a sledgehammer and following with a Pedigree onto the ring steps, inside the ring; stipulations stated Triple H would have to retire if he lost; Lesnar’s entrance included fireworks; Triple H’s entrance included him walking through a skull entrance and, once in the ring, fireworks; at the 12-minute mark, Lesnar hit the F5 on an interfering Michaels; at the 21-minute mark, Michaels hit the superkick on an interfering Heyman; after the contest, Michaels and Triple H hugged
John Cena pinned WWE World Champion the Rock to win the title with the FU at 24:00 after avoiding the Rock Bottom; during Cena’s entrance, info on the live WrestleMania post-show appeared on screen; after the contest, the two shook hands and hugged before Cena left the ring so the Rock could have it; moments later, the Rock greeted Betty Skaaland and his own family at ringside; Rock then walked up the ramp, where Cena saluted him and raised his hand as fireworks went off overhead
Featured an online exclusive post-show with analysis from Scott Stanford, Jim Ross, Kofi Kingston, & Dusty Rhodes; included Renee Young conducting a backstage interview with the Big Show regarding his actions against his partners, with Show saying his partners turned on him; featured Tony Dawson conducting a backstage interview with Chris Jericho regarding his loss to Fandango and talk of it being the greatest upset in WrestleMania history, with Jericho then asking what Fandango will do with it and whether he would still be around in a year; included Dawson conducting a backstage interview with Jack Swagger & Zeb Colter about Swagger’s loss to World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, with Colter saying the deck was stacked against them since the match was in the New York market; featured backstage footage of Triple H’s hand being X-rayed
