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WrestleMania is hands down the biggest wrestling show of the year. It has become a global phenomenon that is watched by millions of fans across the world every year. Fans from more than 60 nations flock over to the United States to witness the magic unfold in a jam-packed stadium.
For a show of this calibre to become a major financial success, WWE makes sure to plan for the event months in advance. Sometimes, the road to WrestleMania begins as soon as the previous edition is done and dusted with!
But things don't always turn out the way they were originally planned. A sudden injury is enough to wash months of planning down the drain. There have been multiple instances in the past where unforeseen circumstances forced the company to rewrite their plans for the show of shows. Here's a list of three of the most famous instances where WWE had to change huge WrestleMania plans due to circumstances way beyond their control.
#3 CM Punk vs Triple H, WrestleMania XXX
As the 30th edition of the wrestling extravaganza was looming closer, WWE decided to bring in Batista to battle the Viper, Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight title. Additionally, Triple H was slated to battle the "Saviour of the Masses", C.M. Punk., while Daniel Bryan was nowhere close to the title picture.
Immediately after the Royal Rumble PPV, Punk left the WWE, never to come back again. His exit was the result of his frustration with how WWE was booking him, plus their negligence towards his health. His exit led to a sudden change of plans, with the WWE finally giving into the Yes Movement and booking Daniel Bryan to win the top prize at the grandest stage of them all.
Bryan wrestled Triple H as well as Orton and Batista in two matches, resulting in one of the biggest upsets in WrestleMania history and a tear-jerking climax to one of the greatest WrestleManias of all time.
What would have happened had Punk not left? It's safe to say that the Yes Movement wouldn't have come to its satisfying conclusion at WrestleMania, and would have died a slow death.
#2 Shawn Michaels vs Eddie Guerrero, WrestleMania 22
After returning back to WWE in 2002, Shawn Michaels showed no signs of ring rust. In fact, he looked better than ever and wrestled absolute clinics in three consecutive WrestleManias, with the likes of Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and Triple H.
On the Blue brand, Eddie Guerrero had become a legit main-eventer who was consistently being featured in top tier matches against fellow SmackDown superstars like Batista, JBL and Rey Mysterio.
The WWE had pencilled in plans for an Inter-promotional match, pitting Michaels against Eddie, as a part of their WrestleMania tradition that began with Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 20.
In November of 2005, just weeks before Survivor Series, Eddie Guerrero passed away due to a heart attack. The wrestling world was in disbelief as they couldn't believe that Eddie had left the world at the tender age of 37.
Shawn Michaels battled Vince McMahon in a bloody brawl at WrestleMania, and the WWE Universe was robbed of a dream match that had all the ingredients to be an absolute classic.
#1 Hulk Hogan vs John Cena, WrestleMania 25
Taking the two biggest babyfaces of all time and pitting them against each other!
This was the original plan for WrestleMania's 25th Anniversary. John Cena was set to take on Hulk Hogan in an epic clash of generations. The greatest superstar in wrestling history and the cornerstone of the Rock 'N' Wrestling Era, was going to go toe to toe with the most popular wrestler of the PG Era. This could have been even bigger than when The Rock and Hulk Hogan squared off against each other in one of the most famous matches in WWE history, at WrestleMania 18.
Unfortunately, Hogan's back blew out weeks before the event. He was already in the middle of his sixth back surgery. The plans were changed overnight and Cena was inserted into the World Heavyweight title match, featuring Edge and The Big Show.
Cena vs Hogan was perhaps the biggest dream match of all time, and the WWE Universe was very close to feast their eyes on the spectacle that was this bout.
Unfortunately, this match will always remain a wrestling fan's pipe dream.
