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March 31, 1985. The Place: Madison Square Garden, New York City. As Tito Santana and The Executioner stood facing each other inside the world’s most famous squared circle, even they did not have any idea of what they were about to begin. But as the bell rang, they, along with over 30,000 maniacs in the audience, set in motion the biggest extravaganza in sports entertainment, WrestleMania.
It’s been 26 years since Santana beat his opponent at the garden, and today WrestleMania has become synonymous with professional wrestling all over the world. Every year, this Showcase of Immortals is attended by more than 60,000 fans at the venue, and is broadcast to millions of viewers in 80 countries across the globe, in 23 different languages, through cable, satellite and web cast.
Crazy fans cheering for their favourite wrestlers at WrestleMania XXIV
Throughout the years, WrestleMania has borne witness to the finest moments in sports entertainment history. From Edge spearing Mick Foley through a burning table (WM 22) to Jeff Hardy Putting Bubba Ray Dudley through a table from the top of a 20-foot ladder (WM 17), to Mike Tyson raising hell on D-Generation-X with Stone Cold Steve Austin (WM 14), the grandest stage of them all has given the fans grand moments to cherish throughout their lives.
The granddaddy of all wrestling events has also been the defining moment of the careers of many of the WWE superstars. Icons like the Heart-Break Kid Shawn Michaels and John Cena captured their first ever WWE Championship titles on this stage, while legends like Triple H and Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart have used the stage to assert their dominance on the ring, once and for all. But no superstar has made more of an impact on the show of shows than The Phenom, The Undertaker. The Demon of Death Valley holds an unprecedented win-loss record of 18-0 at WrestleMania, a feat revered by each and every fan and wrestler alike.
Snoop Dogg making a special appearance at WrestleMania XXIV
?And the ‘Mania fever goes well outside the world of wrestling. Every year, celebrities from all spheres of entertainment like Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Snoop Dogg and Pamela Anderson have made special appearances, just to bathe in the limelight of the phenomenon that is WrestleMania.
This year, one of the people who made WrestleMania what it is today, will add a fresh chapter to its already glorious history. The People’s Champ, The Rock, will become the first person to single-handedly host an event in front of a 70,000+ crowd, when he takes centrestage at WrestleMania XXVII in Atlanta. And this promises to be one hell of a ‘Mania.
