| WrestleMania 23 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers,Vince McMahon andDonald Trump | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown! ECW | ||
| Date | April 1, 2007 (2007-04-01) | ||
| City | Detroit, Michigan | ||
| Venue | Ford Field | ||
| Attendance | 74,287[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 1,250,000[2] | ||
| Tagline | All Grown Up[3] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| WrestleMania chronology | |||
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WrestleMania 23 was a 2007professional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 23rd annualWrestleMania and took place on April 1, 2007, atFord Field inDetroit, Michigan, held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw,SmackDown!, andECWbrand divisions. It was the second WrestleMania to take place inMetro Detroit, afterWrestleMania III, which was held at thePontiac Silverdome inPontiac, Michigan. It was also the first WrestleMania to feature the ECW brand following its establishment as WWE's third brand in May 2006. This was the final WrestleMania to air in 4:3 standard definition, with all subsequent WrestleManias being aired in 16:9 high definition.
Eightprofessional wrestling matches were scheduled for the event, which featured asupercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The main event of the show, which was the main match on the Raw brand, wasJohn Cena versusShawn Michaels for theWWE Championship, in which Cena won. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand wasDave Bautista versusThe Undertaker for theWorld Heavyweight Championship, in which The Undertaker was victorious. The primary match on the ECW brand sawECW World ChampionBobby Lashley (representingDonald Trump) defeat Raw'sIntercontinental ChampionUmaga (representingVince McMahon) in a match where either Trump or McMahon would be shaved bald if their wrestler lost. The match was billed as the "Battle of the Billionaires". Other featured matches included aneight-man tag team match between TheECW Originals andThe New Breed and an eight-man interpromotionalMoney in the Bank ladder match.
Tickets for the event went on sale on November 11, 2006. The event set the all-time Ford Field attendance record of 74,287 people; people from all fifty U.S. states, twenty-four countries, and nine Canadian provinces attended the event. WrestleMania 23 grossed $5.38 million in ticket sales, breaking the previous record of $3.9 million held byWrestleMania X8.[4][5] WWE estimated that $25 million was pumped into the Detroit economy. With about 1.2 million buys, the event, at the time, was the most bought WWE pay-per-view in history at the time.WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012 surpassed the event as the most bought WWE pay-per-view, receiving 1.21 million buys. WrestleMania 23 was also the fifth highest attended WrestleMania in history behind onlyWrestleMania 29 (which drew 80,676 fans),WrestleMania 35 (which drew 82,265 fans),WrestleMania III (which drew 93,173 fans), andWrestleMania 32 (which drew 101,763 fans).[6][7]
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WrestleMania is consideredWorld Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) flagshipprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) event, having first been held in1985. It has become the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April.[8] It was the first of WWE's original four pay-per-views, which includesRoyal Rumble,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four".[9] WrestleMania 23 was scheduled to be held on April 1, 2007, atFord Field inDetroit, Michigan. The event featured wrestlers from theRaw,SmackDown!, andECWbrands. It was the first to feature ECW, a relaunch of the formerExtreme Championship Wrestling promotion that became a WWE brand in June 2006, subsequently also being the first to feature theECW World Championship (although it was not defended at this event as the champion competed in a non-title match).[10]
Theset design for WrestleMania 23 began development in October 2006, after WWEset designer Jason Robinson received the final logo for the event from management under the direction ofVince McMahon.[11] Robinson and his team first surveyed Ford Field in July 2006 and began planning out thestaging andlighting designs. After returning to the stadium in January 2007 for more site surveying, Robinson and his team finalized the set's design in February.[11] The final design resulted in WrestleMania 23 having the largest set ever built for a WrestleMania event.[12] It incorporated 414LED video screens andautomated lights, 10spotlights, 56searchlights, 50,000 ft ofcable forpyrotechnics and other use, and 35 stage flamethrowers used to produce 30 ft high and 6 ft wideflames, all which gave the set a unique look for each performer's entrance and an expandedstage lighting element of 300 ft in width and 100 ft in height using the specializedstage lighting instruments.[12][13] Theramp used to reach the ring from the entrance set was 187 ft in length.[14]
Though it took three weeks to fully prepare Ford Field, set assembly began the week before WrestleMania 23 and was completed shortly before the day of the event.[13] It took a week for 300 staff members, unloading and working from 40semi-trucks, to build the set and assemble the event's lighting within Ford Field, far more than the usual 40 hours, 100 staff members, and 14 semi-trucks required for the production of WWE's weekly television events.[11][12] After the event concluded, it took around thirty hours to disassemble the set and lighting, also far more than the usual three hours required for WWE's weekly television events.[11][13]
WrestleMania 23 featuredprofessional wrestling matches involving wrestlers from existing scripted feuds and storylines played out on WWE's television programs,Monday Night Raw,ECW on Sci-Fi andFriday Night SmackDown!, along with Raw's supplementary showHeat. Wrestlers portrayedfaces (heroes) orheels (villains) as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a match or a series of matches.[15][16]
The mainstaged rivalry heading into WrestleMania 23 was between Vince McMahon andDonald Trump. On the January 8 episode ofRaw, Trump faced off against his real-life rival,Rosie O'Donnell. Trump won the contest, although local wrestlers portrayed Trump and O'Donnell.[17] During McMahon's "Fan Appreciation Night" on the January 29 episode ofRaw, Trump interrupted and dropped large sums of money into the arena.[18] The following month, the two came up with a match for WrestleMania, where the stipulations for the match were that they each had to choose a representative to wrestle for them, and theloser would have his head shaved bald. This match was then billed as the "Battle of the Billionaires".[19] McMahon pickedUmaga as his representative,[20] while Trump pickedBobby Lashley. After successfully defending hisECW World Championship againstHardcore Holly in aSteel Cage match—a match in which the ring is surrounded by a steel cage—on an episode ofECW on Sci Fi, Lashley charged at the cage, slammed through it, and landed atop Umaga, who was at ringside.[21] On the March 5 edition ofRaw,Stone Cold Steve Austin was appointed asspecial guest referee for the "Battle of the Billionaires" match at WrestleMania 23.[22] On the March 26 episode ofRaw, McMahon faced off against Lashley in aNo Disqualification match. In the match, several people interfered on McMahon's behalf, includingLance Cade and Trevor Murdoch,Chris Masters,Johnny Nitro, and Umaga. This interference allowed McMahon to win the bout.[23]
The main rivalry on the Raw brand was betweenJohn Cena andShawn Michaels over the WWE Championship. AfterThe Undertaker, the winner of the2007Royal Rumble match, made his decision to faceBatista for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, a match to determine the next challenger to the WWE Championship was announced. Michaels defeatedRandy Orton andEdge in aTriple Threat match to earn a chance to face Cena at WrestleMania.[24] On an edition ofRaw, Orton and Edge, who weretag team partners asRated-RKO, attempted to attack Cena, but Michaelsran-in and attacked them withsteel chairs.[20] Before a scheduled tag team match between Rated-RKO and Cena and Michaels, Orton played a video that highlighted the past friendships Michaels was involved in before turning on those friends. In the match, Michaels nearlysuperkicked Cena after Orton moved. Due to a later disagreement, Edge left Orton and walked off backstage, which allowed Cena and Michaels to win the match.[25] The following week, Michaels responded to the video set-up by Orton and made comments regarding Cena.[22]
I will have your back until WrestleMania. I've turned against all my partners and more importantly, I've stabbed all my friends in the back. But with you, John, it's different.
— Shawn Michaels commenting on his futureWWE Championship match againstJohn Cena.[22]
After Michaels defeated Orton, Cena ran down to the ring and saved Michaels from an attack by Edge and Orton.[22] On the finalRaw before WrestleMania, Cena and Michaels teamed up to face Batista and The Undertaker in a rematch from their match atNo Way Out. Cena and Michaels appeared set to win after performing a synchronized Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Michaels turned on Cena and superkicked him, allowing Batista and The Undertaker to win the match.[23]
The main feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Batista and The Undertaker over the World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker won the 2007 Royal Rumble match to earn a championship match against any one of WWE's three world championships (WWE, World Heavyweight, or ECW World). On the February 5 episode ofRaw, The Undertaker chose to challenge Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship when hechokeslammed him at the center of the ring. In the weeks leading to WrestleMania 23, Batista and The Undertaker partook in tag team matches. At the beginning of the feud, Batista claimed to have great respect for The Undertaker; however, after several attacks by The Undertaker, Batista claimed to have lost all respect for him especially at No Way Out when Batista gained some payback by delivering a Spinebuster to The Undertaker, allowing Raw's WWE Champion, John Cena and Shawn Michaels to deliver their signature moves on The Undertaker for the victory during their inter-promotional WrestleMania 23 tag team main event. On the finalRaw before WrestleMania during a rematch between Cena and Michaels against Batista and The Undertaker from No Way Out, The Undertaker walked out of the match in response to Batista attacking him during the first encounter, leaving Batista to fight alone against Cena and Michaels. However, Batista and The Undertaker would end up winning the match after Michaels betrayed Cena by hitting him with a superkick, which allowed Batista to pin Cena for the win.
The main feud on the ECW brand was between two teams of four; TheECW Originals andThe New Breed. The feud mainly revolved around which team was the "dominant force" in the revived ECW brand. The two factions of four-faced off in several tag team matches throughout the weeks prior to the event. The New Breed seemed to have dominated for several weeks; however, ECW Originals leader,Rob Van Dam, defeated New Breed leader Elijah Burke in a singles match. ECW Original Tommy Dreamer issued the challenge to the New Breed for an eight-man tag team match at WrestleMania 23, which was accepted by Burke on behalf of The New Breed.
The last major feud involved eight men. Several weeks before WrestleMania 23, it was announced that theMoney in the Bank ladder match would be held again, as it was in the last two years. This year, however, there would be eight men involved, rather than six the two previous years had. Throughout the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 23, qualifying matches took place on all three shows. On an edition ofRaw, Edge, the winner of the match held in 2005, defeated Rob Van Dam, the winner of the match held in 2006, to earn the first spot in the match. The next night onECW, another cross-brand match took place, withCM Punk defeating Johnny Nitro to qualify. On that week'sSmackDown!,King Booker became the third man to qualify, defeatingKane in aFalls Count Anywhere match afterThe Great Khali interfered. On the next edition ofRaw,Jeff Hardy pinnedShelton Benjamin in a match to become the fourth man to qualify. The next night onECW,Mr. Kennedy defeated Sabu in anExtreme Rules match to earn the fifth spot. On the nextSmackDown!, two qualifying matches took place, withMatt Hardy andFinlay winning their respective match to qualify when Matt Hardy defeatedJoey Mercury and Finlay defeated WWE US Champion,Chris Benoit &Montel Vontavious Porter in the Triple threat qualification match. The final qualifying match took place onRaw betweenCarlito andRic Flair. The match was deemed a no-contest after The Great Khali interfered and attacked both men. The following week, onRaw, Randy Orton defeated Flair and Carlito in anelimination match to become the final man to qualify. After Edge and Orton had split as a team, the two attempted to get the other taken out of the Money in the Bank ladder match. Both men failed, however, as Edge won a "last chance"battle royal to retain his spot and Orton won a match onECW to retain his.
At No Way Out,WWE United States ChampionChris Benoit and theHardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) defeatedMNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) andMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP). After Benoit and MVP had some matches with the two in them (tag team and triple threat matches), MVP decided to start showing he was the "true" United States Champion. MVP would then have matches against the "champions" of other countries (includingLuxembourg andScotland, who in reality werejobbers), beating them within minutes. MVP then challenged Benoit for the title at WrestleMania 23.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Jim Ross(Raw) |
| Jerry Lawler(Raw) | |
| Michael Cole(SmackDown!) | |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield(SmackDown!) | |
| Joey Styles(ECW) | |
| Tazz(ECW) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Interviewer | Todd Grisham |
| Ring announcer | Lilian Garcia(Raw/Money In The Bank) |
| Tony Chimel(SmackDown!) | |
| Justin Roberts(ECW) | |
| Howard Finkel(WWE Hall of Fame) | |
| Theodore Long(Batista/Undertaker match) | |
| Referee | Charles Robinson(SmackDown!) |
| Jim Korderas(SmackDown!) | |
| Mickie Henson(SmackDown!) | |
| Marty Elias(Raw) | |
| Jack Doan(Raw) | |
| Mike Chioda(Raw) | |
| Chad Patton(Raw) | |
| Scott Armstrong(ECW) | |
| Stone Cold Steve Austin(Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga) |
Before the event went live on pay-per-view,Ric Flair andCarlito facedGregory Helms andChavo Guerrero in a tag team lumberjack match. Flair and Carlito controlled the early part of the match until Helms threw Flair over the top rope. Thelumberjacks attacked Flair before throwing him back into the ring. Helms and Guerrero continued to beat on Flair, but couldn't pin Flair. Guerrero tried to end it with his frog splash, but Flair moved. Guerrero tagged in Helms, but Flair tagged in Carlito. Carlito dominated Helms, leading to Guerrero coming in to help Helms, but Flair came in and fought Guerrero. Flair and Guerrero took each other out of the ring, and before the lumberjacks could throw them back in the ring, Carlito hit the Backstabber on Guerrero to pick up the win for himself and Flair.
The event officially began withAretha Franklin singing a rendition of "America the Beautiful", reprising her role from twenty years earlier atWrestleMania III.[27]
In the first match that aired,Edge,Randy Orton,Jeff Hardy,King Booker (withQueen Sharmell),Mr. Kennedy,Matt Hardy,Finlay, andCM Punk competed in the third annualMoney in the Bank ladder match. The match featured many notable spots, including points where Edge performed theSpear on all the other opponents, followed by Orton doing the same by performing theRKO later in the match. Kennedy missed aKenton Bomb, landing on a ladder, and received aSwanton Bomb from Jeff. Several dangerous laddersspots were also featured, including Orton performing an RKO on Punk off a ladder, and Booker performing aBook End to Orton off the ladder as well. Midway through the match, Jeff climbed a fifteen-foot-high ladder inside the ring and on his brother, Matt's urging, he performed aleg dropoff of that ladder onto Edge, through another ladder bridged between the ring apron and the barricade. They were carried off on stretchers by the paramedics. Later, when Booker was about to retrieve the contract briefcase, Matt held Booker's wife, Sharmell as ahostage, threatening to perform aTwist of Fate on her. Booker went to her aid and received the Twist of Fate from Matt. Finlay fought Matt for some time in the ring, and also performed theCeltic Cross to Matt onto a ladder. Finlay's associateHornswoggle emerged from under the ring and attempted to retrieve the briefcase for Finlay. He was stopped by Kennedy, who performed hisGreen Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle. Kennedy went on to win the match, only after knocking Punk off a ladder by hitting him with another ladder.[27]
The next match was billed as a "SmackDown! versus Raw Interpromotional match". Raw'sThe Great Khali faced SmackDown!'sKane. It was a short match but contained a notable spot. In homage toHulk Hogan slammingAndré the Giant twenty years earlier atWrestleMania III, Kane picked up Khali for the first time and body-slammed him to the mat. The match ended with Khali pinning Kane after aGiant Chokeslam. After the match, Khali choked Kane out with Kane's chained hook, which was a reference to Kane's movie,See No Evil, where his character used the hook as a signature weapon.[27]
A backstage segment was featured next, which involvedCryme Tyme persuadingEugene to dance with Extreme Expose instead he danced withMae Young andThe Fabulous Moolah, who were dressed as strippers as Cryme Tyme danced withExtreme Exposé. Also featured in the segment were WWE LegendsSlick,Ricky Steamboat,Jimmy Hart,Irwin R. Schyster,Dusty Rhodes,Sgt. Slaughter,Howard Finkel,Gene Okerlund,Pat Patterson andGerald Brisco, many of whom had not been seen on television in years untilFarooq interrupted the festivities with his signature "DAMN!"catchphrase.[27]
In the fourth match,Chris Benoit facedMontel Vontavious Porter for theUnited States Championship. The match started off with a chain of takedowns, holds, and reversals, with MVP keeping up with Benoit, even going for somesubmission holds. The match lasted almost ten minutes, with Benoit attempting to lock in some of hissignature submission holds, but MVP successfully reversed them, including theCrippler Crossface. The two exchangedsuplexes and holds until Benoit executed aDiving headbutt on MVP, which led to Benoit getting thepinfall victory to retain the WWE United States Championship. This was Benoit's last WrestleMania match.[27]
Long-timering announcerHoward Finkel then introduced theWWE Hall of Fame Class of 2007. The next match featuredBatista defending theWorld Heavyweight Championship againstThe Undertaker. The match started with Batista performing a Spear on The Undertaker as the bell sounded. The match went back and forth, with both men countering each other and performing their finishers. The Undertaker performed aChokeslam, but Batista kicked out of the pinfall attempt. The Undertaker was then able to perform aLast Ride to Batista for a near-fall. Midway through the match, The Undertaker performed an Over The Top Rope Suicide Dive on Batista. At one point, Batista was able to perform arunning powerslam on The Undertaker through a broadcast table. Back in the ring, Batista executed aSpinebuster followed by aBatista Bomb for a near-fall. The Undertaker then pinned Batista following aTombstone piledriver to become the World Heavyweight Champion and emerge from WrestleMania with hiswinning streak intact. The Undertaker's win made him the first wrestler to have won both the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.[27]
The ECW Originals (Rob Van Dam,Sabu,Tommy Dreamer, andThe Sandman) took onThe New Breed (Elijah Burke,Kevin Thorn,Marcus Cor Von, andMatt Striker) next. The match started off with Cor Von working over Sabu. That changed when Cor Von tagged Striker, who missed an elbow after whipping Sabu into the ropes, allowing Sandman to get tagged. Sandman dominated Striker, and eventually tagged Van Dam. Van Dam used also dominated Striker but was poked in the eye, allowing Striker to tag in Burke. Burke had early success, but Van Dam regained the advantage and tagged Sandman again. Sandman worked on Burke until tagging Dreamer. Dreamer also beat down Burke until Cor Von received a blind tag and hit Dreamer from behind. Cor Von attacked Dreamer relentlessly and went over and punched Sabu, which distracted the referee and allowed Dreamer to be triple-teamed by Thorn, Burke, and Striker. Cor Von tagged in Burke who almost pinned Dreamer. Thorn entered next and almost performed his finishing move called the Original Sin. Dreamer managed to escape but was unable to tag his partners. Thorn tagged in Cor Von again who also almost pinned Dreamer. Cor Von tagged Thorn again, and Thorn resumed the beat down on Dreamer. Thorn tagged Striker next, and Striker attempted a suplex that Dreamer blocked and Dreamer suplexed Striker instead. Striker did not try to tag his partners and tried to stop Dreamer, but Dreamer tagged in Sabu. Sabu began to manhandle Striker and executed a leg drop from the top rope. Van Dam was then tagged in. Burke broke up Van Dam's pin attempt, which led to all competitors entering the ring. While the referee was distracted, Ariel gave Striker a chair. But Van Dam gave Striker an Van Daminator when he kicked the chair into Striker's face. Van Dam pinned Striker after aFive-Star Frog Splash to win the match for The Originals.[27]
The match that WWE billed as the "Battle of the Billionaires" was next, asUmaga (accompanied by Vince McMahon and hishandlerArmando Alejandro Estrada) foughtBobby Lashley (accompanied by Donald Trump). Stone Cold Steve Austin served as the special guest referee. Trump was attended to byTara Connor. Midway through the match, Austin was attacked by Umaga, causing him to become incapacitated and was taken out of the match for several minutes.Shane McMahon, who attempted to replace him as the referee, called the match while being biased toward Umaga. After Umaga got a near-fall on Lashley, Austin pulled Shane out of the ring, gave him aStunner, and went back to the ring. Umaga attempted a Samoan Spike on Austin, but he avoided it and Stunned Umaga. Lashley took the opportunity and speared Umaga, then pinned him to get the victory. After the match, Trump and Lashley shaved Vince's head bald, followed by Austin executing a Stunner on Trump.[27]
The next match wasMelina againstAshley in a Lumberjill Match for theWWE Women's Championship. The match was short, as MelinaBridge pinned Ashley to retain the title. After the match, the lumberjills began brawling in the ring.[27]
Themain event was then currentWorld Tag Team championsJohn Cena andShawn Michaels facing each other for theWWE Championship. Incumbent champion Cena made a grand entrance by driving aFord Mustang through the streets of Detroit and smashing through a glass panel upon entering the stadium. After a back-and-forth match, the longest of the night, Cena applied theSTF on Michaels, Michaels submitted and Cena retained the title. Following the match, Cena embraced while holding his retained championship and offered to shake hands with Michaels, who refused and walked away. He soon turned back and Cena saluted him before walking back into the ring as he celebrated with pyrotechnics and confetti filling the Ford Field.[27]
The event received generally positive reviews.Canadian Online Explorer writers Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk rated the entire event 8 out of 10 stars,[10] which was the same rating as theprevious year's event.[28] The lowest rated match on the card was Kane versus The Great Khali with a 0.5 out of a 10 star rating, the WWE Women's Championship match between Melina and Ashley was the second lowest rated match; it was rated 2 stars.[10] The "Battle of the Billionaires" match was rated an 8 out of 10 stars. Batista versus The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship match, one of the matches from the double main event, was rated 7.5 out of 10 stars.[10] The main event match for the WWE Championship was rated a 9 out of 10 stars, and the Money in the Bank ladder match received the same rating.[10] The attendance was reported to be 80,103 by numerous sources, a Ford Field record.[29][30][31][32]
Some observers argued that Batista vs. Undertaker was the best match of the night and "stole the show".[33][34] Batista himself agreed with the sentiment and expressed his belief that their match should've been the main event instead of Cena vs. Michaels.[35][36]
WrestleMania 23 would be the last WrestleMania to air in 4:3 standard definition. Beginning in January 2008, all WWE pay-per-view events would air in 16:9high definition.[37] In addition, this would be the only WWE event to be held in Ford Field untilSummerSlam which was held in August 2023.[38]
John Cena and Shawn Michaels continued their feud, with Michaels betraying Cena the night after WrestleMania onRaw. During the second of twobattle royals, Michaels eliminated himself and Cena, resulting in The Hardys winning theWorld Tag Team Championship.[39] On theRaw beforeBacklash, Cena and Michaels wrestled an almost hour long non-title match, which Michaels won.[40]
Mr. Kennedy lost his Money in the Bank contract to Edge on the May 7 episode ofRaw, after Edge defeated Kennedy in a match with the briefcase on the line. Kennedy would be the only Money in the Bank contract holder to never cash in the briefcase untilOtis in2020. On the May 11, 2007, episode ofSmackDown!, after the Undertaker retained the World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage match against Batista via a draw and was attacked byMark Henry, Edge successfully cashed the contract in on a beaten-down Undertaker and won the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career.
Batista also continued his feud with The Undertaker, facing off against him in aLast Man Standing match the following month at Backlash. The match ended in a draw after both men failed to answer the ten count, therefore resulting in Undertaker retaining the title.[41] The two faced each other in a Steel Cage match on the May 11, 2007, episode ofSmackDown!, which also ended in a draw after both men escaped the cage at the same time.[42] The feud ended when The Undertakerdropped the World Heavyweight Championship due to alegitimate injury. Edge, who won Kennedy'sMoney in the Bank contract in a match on Raw the previous Monday, cashed it in and defeated The Undertaker after the Steel cage match to win the title.[42]
The match between Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter expanded into a lengthy feud for theWWE United States Championship, resulting in Benoit retaining via pinfall at Backlash and MVP winning the title in atwo out of three falls match at Judgment Day, winning 2–0.[43] Benoit would be drafted to ECW in June, and after missingVengeance: Night of Champions as he was booked for a championship match, hethen killed his wife, son, and finally himself that same weekend. This event would be the final WrestleMania appearance of Benoit.
Bobby Lashley's feud with Vince McMahon continued for a further three months after the event. Vince, livid after being embarrassed at WrestleMania, vowed to "kill" ECW and that the brand's destruction would start with him taking Lashley's ECW World Championship. At Backlash, Vince, his sonShane and Umaga teamed up in aThree on one handicap match against Lashley, and after twoSamoan Splashes by Umaga from the top rope, Vince pinned Lashley to win the ECW World Championship.[41] The feud continued for a further two pay-per-views, with Lashley pinning Shane in a rematch from Backlash atJudgment Day, but Vince declared that, since he did not get pinned, he was still the ECW World Champion before having Lashley subjected to a post-match beatdown by Umaga.[43] AtOne Night Stand, Lashley finally defeated Vince in aStreet Fight to reclaim the ECW World Championship, despite repeated interference from Shane and Umaga.[44]
The feud between the ECW Originals and the New Breed continued, with the New Breed defeating the ECW Originals in anExtreme Rules match on the next edition ofECW. Sabu was released from the company shortly after WrestleMania, and The Sandman was drafted to Raw a few months later in the2007 WWE Draft. Kevin Thorn left the New Breed shortly after WrestleMania and Marcus Cor Von was also released shortly thereafter. By this point, Elijah Burke and Matt Striker had ceased associating with one another, with Striker eventually being relegated to amanager role forBig Daddy V. In addition, Rob Van Dam left the company when his contract expired shortly afterOne Night Stand. As a result of all of this, the feud eventually fizzled out and was rarely mentioned again.
Rockford-Montgomery Labs, through their brand 360 OTC, was named as the official sponsor of the event. On January 19, 2008, WWE filed a lawsuit against the company alleging non-payment of the sponsorship funds.[45] A similar lawsuit was also filed byNASCAR Cup Series teamBill Davis Racing, which had run WWE and WrestleMania 23 sponsorship as part of their sponsorship deal with 360 OTC.[46][47]
93,173 (WrestleMania III), 80,676 (WM 29), 80,355 (SummerSlam 1992 at Wembley Stadium) and 80,103 (WM 23). The real numbers for those shows were 78,000, 72,000, 78,927 and 74,287.
... WWE's flagship event lights up MetLife Stadium ... WrestleMania
