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The biggest event of the year is now on the horizon as the Road To WrestleMania is nearing its destination. The card for the show is close to being finalized and it looks set to be one of the best WrestleMania events that the company has presented for a long time.
The return of Daniel Bryan, the debut of Ronda Rousey and the fantasy match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura are some of the highlights of what looks to be an incredible show. But ahead of the biggest event of the year next weekend, here are 10 little-known facts that every fan needs to know.
#10. This is Stephanie McMahon's first WrestleMania match
Stephanie McMahon has been on tv screens ever since she was a teenager, but it seems that even she will be making history next weekend when she steps into her first ever WrestleMania match.
The former Women's Champion hasn't wrestled in almost four years, with her last match coming back at SummerSlam 2014 when she defeated Brie Bella, with the help of her sister Nikki. McMahon definitely has it much tougher at this year's WrestleMania since she teams with her husband Triple H against former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey, who is making her in-ring debut and Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle.
#9. Roman Reigns could equal Hulk Hogan's WrestleMania record
Hulk Hogan dominated the wrestling world like no one before him but for more than two decades Hogan's record of main eventing WrestleMania for four consecutive years has been able to remain intact.
It seems that Roman Reigns could be about to equal that record this year if his match for the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar is chosen as the match to end the show. If Roman is able to equal this record next weekend, then it is likely that the record could be broken in the future if the company continues to push the former World Champion as their next face.
#8. This is the first WrestleMania to present more than two women's matches
WrestleMania historically hasn't been a great place for women, who have benefitted from one match on the card for most of their history. In recent years the SmackDown and Raw Women's Championships have been defended, which has allowed there to be two matches for the ladies on the card, but for an event that didn't even broadcast a women's match back in 2013, it is a huge step forward this year to have three all-women matches.
The Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships will be defended at the show once again, whilst the first ever Women's Battle Royal will take place and Stephanie McMahon and Ronda Rousey are also part of their tag team match, which means that for the first time in history there are four matches involving women set to take place at the biggest event of the year.
#7. Most superstars involved in the show
WWE's roster is potentially the biggest it has ever been and it seems that the company is definitely equalizing on this by using more superstars on their pay-per-view events now than ever before. The Royal Rumble pay-per-view broke history back in January when more than 60 stars took part in the show, and WrestleMania looks set to follow suit.
There are set to be 14 matches on the card right now with two of these matches including more than 30 stars as WWE presents both a male and female battle royal this year. This means that there could be more than 80 superstars on the card next Sunday night, meaning that this is the biggest event that WWE has ever presented based solely on the stars involved.
#6. Most matches on a card for more than two decades
Not only will this year's WrestleMania include more superstars than ever before, but it will also present more matches than the show has seen for more than two decades. The last time 14 matches or more were presented on a WrestleMania card was back at WrestleMania VII in 1992 which had 15 matches.
It seems that the show has always seen around 10 matches with last year's show presenting 13 but this year will be the one to take it one step further. Perhaps next year will be the year that WWE presents more than 15 and finally breaks that long-standing record.
#5. WrestleMania will see Daniel Bryan's first match in more than two years
It is one of the most highly anticipated parts of this year's WrestleMania since last week it was announced that Daniel Bryan had been cleared to return to the ring after being forced to retire due to injury back in February 2016.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have already been named as the men that Bryan will step into the ring against alongside Shane McMahon since all four men have unfinished business. It was thought for a long time that Bryan would never step back into a WWE ring, which makes this match even more special for the fans of the SmackDown General Manager.
#4. This is the first WrestleMania Dean Ambrose has missed since his debut
Dean Ambrose was injured on Monday Night Raw back in December and it was later announced that the former World Champion would be out of action for up to nine months after it was revealed that he required surgery on his injured tricep.
Ambrose made his debut back in November 2012 and has appeared at the last five WrestleMania events in tag team matches, in the Intercontinental Championship ladder match, in a match against Brock Lesnar and last year he walked in as IC Champion and defended his title against Baron Corbin.
With rumors that Ambrose's injury is much worse than first thought, it seems that this year will be the first year that The Lunatic Fringe has missed the Showcase of the Immortals, which means that Roman Reigns is the only Shield member who has been present at every show since their collective debut.
#3. This is the first time that Charlotte will face Asuka
WWE has done a fantastic job over the past few years when it comes to ensuring that Charlotte and Asuka don't cross paths. The duo both came through the ranks in NXT and have been able to become the two most dominant female wrestlers of the current generation, which has led to this epic showdown.
AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura are also colliding on WWE soil for the first time when they meet to decide the fate of the WWE Championship, so it seems that the WWE Universe is in for something special next weekend.
#2. Seth Rollins could become Grand Slam Champion at WrestleMania
WrestleMania has definitely been a happy hunting ground for The Architect, Seth Rollins won the World Championship for the first time in the main event of WrestleMania 31 after he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, and last year he was able to defeat Triple H on the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Rollins will be hoping to continue his great run in recent years when he steps into a triple threat match against The Miz and Finn Balor, knowing that a win will allow him to put his name in the history books as a Grand Slam Champion. Rollins is the only Shield member who is yet to achieve the milestone, so it is something he will be wanting to finally mark off his list.
#1. Bray Wyatt is the first star to defend the World Championship at one WrestleMania and fail to be part of the main card on the next
The sad symphony of Bray Wyatt's career is something that the WWE Universe has been questioning over the past few months, but it is really put into perspective when you realize that he was defending the WWE Championship against Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton at last year's WrestleMania.
The Eater of Worlds has been in freefall over the past year which culminated in his loss to Matt Hardy in the Ultimate Deletion match two weeks ago on Raw. Wyatt hasn't been seen on WWE TV since he lost this match and was thrown into the Lake of Reincarnation, which means that it's highly likely that he won't be featuring on the WrestleMania card this year.
