World Wrestling Entertainment’s Wrestlemania is, quite simply, professional wrestling’s answer to the Super Bowl, World Series and Final Four, all rolled into one. For over two decades, it has been the singular event that has brought all storylines and rivalries together in one action-packed spectacular. And it has been the signature promotion that has been most instrumental in wrestling’s ability to transcend the sports and entertainment industries.
One only needs to take a look at the list of celebrities who have participated in Wrestlemania to understand the power and influence of the event in the mainstream of American sports and popular culture. The likes of Donald Trump, Pete Rose, Dennis Rodman, Karl Malone, Mike Tyson, Alice Cooper, Billy Martin, Lawrence Taylor, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Liberace, Cyndi Lauper, Pamela Anderson and Ozzy Osbourne have all been a part of it. Muhammad Ali was the guest referee for the first-ever Wrestlemania main event, a tag match which pitted Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff.
It can reasonably be said that Wrestlemania is the...