History of WrestleMania in Timeline
WrestleMania is WWE's flagship professional wrestling event, held annually since 1985. Conceptualized by Vince McMahon and named by Howard Finkel, it's the longest-running and most successful wrestling event, broadcast via pay-per-view and, since 2014, livestreaming. WrestleMania is considered one of WWE's 'Big Five' events alongside Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Money in the Bank. The 40th edition took place in Philadelphia in April 2024.
1984: The naming of "WrestleMania"
In 1984, Howard Finkel is credited with coming up with the name "WrestleMania".
March 31, 1985: The First WrestleMania
On March 31, 1985, the World Wrestling Federation staged the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1985: WrestleMania Premieres
In 1985, WrestleMania premiered as WWE's first pay-per-view event.
1988: WrestleMania IV Festival
In 1988, in association with The Trump Organization, WWF prepared a small festival to celebrate WrestleMania IV, which included autograph signings, a brunch, and a 5K run.
1989: WrestleMania V Festival
In 1989, the WrestleMania festival, which included autograph signings, a brunch, and a 5K run, was held again for WrestleMania V.
1992: WrestleMania VIII Festival
In 1992, a festival was held the day of WrestleMania VIII which included a WWF superstar look-alike contest and a tournament for the WWF WrestleFest arcade game.
1993: WrestleMania Brunch
In 1993, the WWF held a "WrestleMania Brunch" the day of WrestleMania IX at Caesars Palace, during which Lex Luger attacked Bret Hart.
1993: Royal Rumble Winner Guaranteed Title Match
Since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner receives a guaranteed world championship match at WrestleMania.
1994: WrestleMania X Fan Fest
In 1994, WWF offered "Fan Fest" for the weekend of WrestleMania X, which allowed fans to step inside a WWF ring, participate in games, meet superstars, and purchase merchandise.
1995: WrestleMania XI Fan Fest
In 1995, WWF offered "Fan Fest" for the weekend of WrestleMania XI, which allowed fans to step inside a WWF ring, participate in games, meet superstars, and purchase merchandise.
2000: Pete Rose vs. Kane
At WrestleMania 2000, Pete Rose continued his short feud with Kane, with the appearance ending with Rose receiving a Tombstone piledriver or chokeslam from Kane.
2001: WrestleMania Axxess at Reliant Hall
In 2001, WrestleMania Axxess was held at the Reliant Hall which expanded upon the event by adding numerous activities including areas where attendees could buy special merchandise, see a production truck and check out special WWE vehicles.
2002: World Heavyweight Championship defended for the first time
In 2002, The World Heavyweight Championship was defended for the first time at the event, with Triple H retaining against Booker T.
2002: WrestleMania Axxess
In 2002, WrestleMania Axxess became a three-day event (March 14–16) and was held at the Canadian National Exhibition, including similar activities to the one-day line-up.
2002: Rumble Winner Chooses Championship
In 2002, the Rumble winner was given the option to choose between the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship.
2002: Brand separation commentary teams
Since the brand separation in 2002, commentary teams have been assigned to matches from the Raw and SmackDown brands.
2003: Final Axxess at a Convention Center
2003 marked the final WrestleMania Axxess held at a convention center for six years, with the event still being held.
2003: World Heavyweight Championship
In 2003, WrestleMania featured main event matches for the World Heavyweight Championship.
2004: WrestleMania Axxess Visits Cities
From 2004 to 2008, WrestleMania Axxess visited cities around the United States and Canada with a smaller touring version of what was previously presented at regular Axxess events.
June 2006: ECW Brand and Championship Option
In June 2006, with the creation of the ECW brand, the Rumble winner had a third option, the ECW Championship.
2006: ECW Commentary teams introduced
From 2006, the ECW matches called by Joey Styles and Tazz.
2007: ECW Championship Option Available
From 2007, the Rumble winner had the option to challenge for the ECW Championship.
2008: WrestleMania Axxess Visits Cities
From 2004 to 2008, WrestleMania Axxess visited cities around the United States and Canada with a smaller touring version of what was previously presented at regular Axxess events.
2009: WrestleMania 25 Matches
In 2009, WrestleMania 25 featured several key matches, including Chris Jericho defeating WWE Hall of Famers, Shawn Michaels unsuccessfully attempting to end The Undertaker's streak, Rey Mysterio defending the Intercontinental Championship, John Cena winning the World Heavyweight Championship, and Triple H retaining the WWE Championship.
February 14, 2010: NBA All-Star Game Breaks Attendance Record
On February 14, 2010, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game broke the indoor sporting event attendance record with 108,713 attendees at Cowboys Stadium.
2010: ECW Commentary teams
Until 2010, the ECW matches called by Joey Styles and Tazz.
2013: WrestleMania X-Seven ranked number one
In 2013, WWE released a list of their "15 best pay-per-views ever", with WrestleMania X-Seven ranked at number one.
2013: WrestleMania 29 Main Events and Matches
In 2013, WrestleMania 29 was held with 80,676 fans in attendance. The Undertaker extended his streak to 21-0 against CM Punk. Triple H defeated Brock Lesnar with Shawn Michaels' help. John Cena defeated The Rock for the WWE Championship. Alberto Del Rio defended the World Heavyweight Championship, and The Shield made their WrestleMania debut defeating Big Show, Sheamus, and Randy Orton.
2013: World Heavyweight Championship
In 2013, WrestleMania featured main event matches for the World Heavyweight Championship.
2013: WWE and World Heavyweight Championships Unified
In 2013, the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships were unified.
2013: World Heavyweight Championship (2002–2013 version)
The World Heavyweight Championship (2002–2013 version) was defended for the first time at the event, with Triple H retaining against Booker T
April 6, 2014: WrestleMania XXX Key Events
On April 6, 2014, WrestleMania XXX saw Daniel Bryan defeat Triple H and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match. The Undertaker's undefeated streak ended with a loss to Brock Lesnar. AJ Lee retained the WWE Divas Championship, Bray Wyatt lost to John Cena, The Shield defeated Kane and The New Age Outlaws, and Cesaro won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
2014: The Undertaker's Streak Ends
At WrestleMania XXX in 2014, The Undertaker lost to Brock Lesnar, ending his undefeated WrestleMania streak.
2014: Forbes Names WrestleMania Valuable
From 2014, Forbes named WrestleMania one of the world's most valuable sports event brands.
2014: WrestleMania XXX Livestreaming
In 2014, WrestleMania XXX was WWE's first major event available via livestreaming.
2014: WrestleMania XXX
In 2014, WrestleMania XXX was held in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome, marking a significant event in WrestleMania history.
March 29, 2015: WrestleMania 31 Highlights
On March 29, 2015, WrestleMania 31 featured Seth Rollins winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase during the match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Sting lost to Triple H, The Undertaker defeated Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton defeated Seth Rollins, John Cena defeated Rusev for the United States Championship, Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship, and Big Show won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
April 3, 2016: WrestleMania 32 Results
On April 3, 2016, WrestleMania 32 took place, where Roman Reigns defeated Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker defeated Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell match, Brock Lesnar defeated Dean Ambrose, Charlotte defeated Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks for the WWE Women's Championship, Zack Ryder won the Intercontinental Championship, and Baron Corbin won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
2016: WrestleMania 32 Attendance Record
In 2016, WrestleMania 32 surpassed WrestleMania III as the highest-attended professional wrestling event ever held in America, with 101,763 fans in attendance at AT&T Stadium.
2016: Second Brand Split Reintroduction
In 2016, the brand split was reintroduced, adding the WWE Universal Championship as a choice for the Royal Rumble winner.
April 2, 2017: WrestleMania 33 Outcomes
On April 2, 2017, at WrestleMania 33, Roman Reigns defeated The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar defeated Goldberg for the Universal Championship, Randy Orton defeated Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship, Mojo Rawley won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and The Hardy Boyz made an unannounced return to win the Raw Tag Team Championship.
2017: WWE Universal Championship
In 2017, WrestleMania featured main event matches for the WWE Universal Championship.
April 8, 2018: WrestleMania 34 Results
On April 8, 2018, WrestleMania 34 saw Brock Lesnar retain the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, AJ Styles retain the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura, Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon defeat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and Charlotte Flair ended Asuka's undefeated streak. Braun Strowman and Nicholas won the Raw Tag Team Championship, and Naomi won the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal.
2018: WrestleMania 34
In 2018, WrestleMania 34 was held in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome, being the second time the event was held at that stadium.
2018: Women's Royal Rumble Introduced
In 2018, a women's Royal Rumble match was introduced, with the winner receiving the option of challenging for a women's championship.
April 7, 2019: WrestleMania 35 Highlights
On April 7, 2019, at WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston became the first African-born WWE Champion, Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, Kurt Angle and Batista retired, and Becky Lynch won the Winner Takes All Triple Threat match for both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships.
2019: WrestleMania's Brand Value
In 2019, WrestleMania was ranked sixth with a brand value of US$245 million by Forbes.
2020: NXT Championships as Rumble Choices
In 2020, NXT's championships became additional choices for Royal Rumble winners.
2020: WrestleMania 36 held without fans
In 2020, WrestleMania 36 was held without fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was the first to be held across two nights.
2020: WrestleMania 36 Key Matches
In 2020, WrestleMania 36 was taped across two nights due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in a Boneyard match, Braun Strowman defeated Goldberg for the Universal Championship, Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, and Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt also defeated John Cena in a Firefly Fun House match, and Edge defeated Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match.
September 2021: NXT Reverts to Developmental Brand
In September 2021, NXT reverted to its original status as WWE's developmental brand.
2021: WrestleMania 37 Returns with Live Crowd
In 2021, WrestleMania 37 was WWE's first event back with a live crowd at a reduced venue capacity.
2022: NXT Championships Removed as Rumble Choices
In 2022, NXT Championships were dropped as choices for Royal Rumble winners.
2022: WrestleMania 38 Highlights
In 2022, WrestleMania 38 was the first full capacity WrestleMania since 2019. Cody Rhodes returned to defeat Seth Rollins. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin came out of retirement to defeat Kevin Owens. Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match, becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
2023: WrestleMania 39 Main Events
In 2023, at WrestleMania 39, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn defeated The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship in the main event of Night 1. Roman Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes in Night 2's main event.
April 2024: WWE World at WrestleMania Relaunch
In April 2024, WWE relaunched WrestleMania Axxess under the new name WWE World at WrestleMania, in partnership with Fanatics Events, featuring interview panel sessions, a WWE 2K gaming tournament, live podcast recordings, meet-and-greets, and a large merchandise store.
2024: WrestleMania XL
In 2024, WrestleMania XL took place on April 6 and 7 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, featuring multiple matches and title changes.
2024: New World Heavyweight Championship
In 2024, WrestleMania featured main event matches for the current World Heavyweight Championship.
2025: Future SummerSlam
In 2025, A future Summerslam event will be held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana as part of a partnership with the Indiana Sports Corp.
2025: WrestleMania 41
In 2025, WrestleMania 41 will take place on April 19 and 20 at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, marking the latest April date for a WrestleMania and the first to be held during Easter weekend.
2026: WrestleMania 42
In 2026, WrestleMania 42 will be held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, marking the third WrestleMania in New Orleans and at that stadium.
