Hello everyone!! Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the ride. This is it. The final chapters in my Wrestlemania saga. I hope you have enjoyed reading about it. I think I might need a week off to recover from all this! hehehe. To put a ribbon the whole thing, I'll have a "Wrestlemania 22" report on Monday. And thats it. No more wrestling for awhile!! So lets get to it shall we?
Skydome- Toronto, ON
March 17,2002
Wrestlemania X8 (18..again, gotta love those marketing people!!) returned to Skydome in Toronto which was the site of one of the biggest matches of all time. Who knew that in its return trip, it would feature a match that would not only rival it in hype, but surpass it in scale.
For the first time ever, it would be "ICON vs ICON" as Hulk Hogan made his return to the WWF to take on The Rock. Each man represented a different era of wrestling. Whereas Hogan was the golden boy of the WWF in its early years, The Rock was carrying the WWF banner in the new millennium. It was a match nobody thought they would see, but at Wrestlemania X8, history would once again be made.
When it came time for the match the crowd was buzzing with anticipation. And when Hogan's music hit the crowd went CRAZY!!! Even though Hogan was coming in as the "heel" (bad guy) the fans showed their respect for the man that made most of them fans. The Rock came out to his thunderous ovation. In a truly iconic moment, both men stared each other down as chants of "HOGAN!! HOGAN!! HOGAN!!" and "ROCKY!! ROCKY!!" echoed in the arena.
The bell sounded and both men went at each other. Hogan was in control in the early goingas he was obviously the stronger of the two physically. But soon the tables had turned and the Rock was in control which prompted boos from the crowd as they had now turned on the Rock and were solidly behind Hogan. The Rock tried to put Hogan away with the Rock Bottom and covered him but Hogan kicked out and began his "superman" like comeback. After a couple of punches he nailed The Rock with a big boot and followed it with a leg drop.
The Rock however kicked out at 2 1/2 and Hogan couldnt believe it. He tried the same sequence again but this time missed the legdrop. The Rock picked up Hogan and nailed him with TWO Rock Bottoms followed by the Peoples Elbow and the cover for the 3 count.
The crowd cheered in a sign of respect and appreciation for both men. Afterwards, Hogan shook The Rock's hand and both men walked out together as the true ICONS of the sport.
Safeco Field- Seattle, WA
March 30, 2003
Wrestemania was nearing almost two decades of excellence. "Wrestlemania XIX" (Yeah, they did away with the X# gimmick) would take place in Safeco Field, the home of the Seattle Mariners. It would be a unique Wrestlemania in that Hulk Hogan,The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin would all be on the card, but not the main event. This would also be the first Wrestlemania to use the new "WWE" name. Because of a lawsuit by the other W.W.F. (World Wildlife Fund) the WWF was forced to change their name to "World Wrestling Entertainment".
The Rock and Austin would go at it one more time. But this time it was all about pride as The Rock wanted to avenge his earlier Wrestlemania losses. The match was nowhere near as intense or "special" as the others before it. Still they managed to entertain the crowd and put on a decent match.
The Rock would dominate most of the match and after hitting Austin with a few Rock Bottom's, he was able to finally defeat Austin at Wrestlemania
Hulk Hogan would be involved in a different kind of match this time around. He would face the man that put him on the map, Vince McMahon!! The two had a falling out of sorts as McMahon claimed that Hogan would be nothing without him. Hogan responded by saying that without him the WWF would have never made it. The two men decided that Wrestlemania would be the place to settle their differences.
The match was a non stop brawl as both men fought all over the ring and around it. McMahon pulled out all the stops to beat Hogan. Even busting the Hulkster open. But it was no use as Hogan would come back and beat down Mr. McMahon
Despite some outside interference by the returning "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Hogan defeated McMahon and left him a bloody mess.
Even in defeat, McMahon was still defiant.
What would Wrestlemania bring us in its next installment?
Madison Square Garden,New York, NY
March 14, 2004
Wrestlemania reached its 20th anniversary and once again returned to the place that started it all. "Wrestlemania XX" would feature a new crop of superstars ready to take Wrestlemania into its third decade. None of this was more evident than in the main events.
WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero would defend his title against Kurt Angle in one main event, while WWE World Heavyweight Champion HHH would take on Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels in a Triple Threat Match. With two major titles on the line, it promised to be a big night.
First up, Eddie would defend against Kurt Angle. For months, Angle was mocking Eddie Guerrero and called him "unworthy" of carrying the gold. Eddie accepted Angle's Wrestlemania challenge to prove that he was indeed championship material.
Eddie and Angle put on a wrestling clinic and at one point even had Angle in his own Ankle Lock!
Angle was able to regain momentum and almost had Eddie tapping out as well. Guerrero escaped the lock and started untying his boot to "relieve" swelling. But in reality he had a plan. When Angle put him in the lock again, Guerrero pushed his boot off sending Angle flying. An angry Angle charged back at Guerrero only to be caught in a roll up and pinned for the 1-2-3!!!
Angle was stunned/furious and Eddie laughed all the way to the back.
It was now time for the second title bout and it didnt disappoint!
Benoit, Michaels and Triple H absolutely destroyed each other in the final match of WrestleMania XX. Michaels was a bloody mess, as Triple H looked ready to lock in the Pedigree on Benoit. Benoit somehow reversed it into the Crippler Crossface, and with Michaels out on the floor Triple H fought as muchas he could but finally tapped out due to the excruciating pain. Benoit was the new champion!!
Afterwards Chris Benoit was joined by his friend WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero in the middle of the ring as confetti flew all over Madison Square Garden and both men celebrated being at the top of the mountain.
Staples Center- Los Angeles, CA
April 3, 2005
Wrestlemania returned to Los Angeles for its 21st edition. Gone were the Roman numerals from the logo. Instead "Wrestlemania 21" would use traditional numbers for its numbering. This was also the first Wrestlemania your's truly attended in person. ;-)
Once again two titles would be on the line. WWE Champion JBL would face John Cena, while World Heavyweight Champion Triple H (yes, him again) would face Batista.
After more than nine months and nearly 300 days as WWE Champion, the historic reign of JBL finally ended at the hands of John Cena at Wrestlemania. JBL, who had overcome every obstacle and every put in his way since July, couldn’t defeat the athletic, hungry and determined Cena on this night.
Cena mounted a flurry of offense late in the match, connecting with an FU and recording the three-count he waited for his whole life.Cena had a sluggish start to the match as JBL dominated the action, hitting a crushing spinebuster, a short-arm clothlesline and a superplex from the top rope.
JBL even tossed a reeling Cena out of the ring. But Cena would recover nicely, ultimately winning his first WWE championship and defeating JBL, who had earlier guaranteed victory
In the second match Triple H pulled out all the stops – using a low blow and a foreign object to set up his patented finisher.
But it would not be enough on this night.
Batista remarkably powered out of the Pedigree, then reversed it into a jaw-dropping modified slam. It was something Triple H never expected, and it took the wind right out of him.
Batista then hit his punishing sit-down powerbomb in the center of the ring. A bloodied Triple H couldn’t kick out and Batista was the new champion!!
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For over 20 years, Wrestlemania has been entertaining people all around the world. Be it the young or the young at heart, Wrestlemania remains as popular today as it did that fateful Sunday in 1985. The wrestlers may change. The name of the company may change. But one thing will always remain the same. Wrestlemania will always be the place where history is made and legends are born.
DQ
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