Mid 20th Century
161-491: WrestleMania XL was a 2024 professional wrestling event produced by WWE . It was the 40th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on April 6 and 7, 2024, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . The event aired via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions . This was the second WrestleMania to be held in both
322-626: A WWE 2K24 gaming tournament, live podcast recordings, meet-and-greets with wrestlers, and a large merchandise store with various memorabilia honoring WrestleMania's 40-year history. WWE World replaced the WrestleMania Fan Axxess event that had been held at each year's WrestleMania prior to WrestleMania 36 in 2020. WWE commentator Pat McAfee also hosted live editions of his eponymous ESPN afternoon show at WWE World on Friday, April 5, and Monday April 8. The night before WrestleMania XL on April 5, WWE kicked off WrestleMania Weekend with
483-550: A Bloodline Rules match . In other prominent matches, Sami Zayn defeated Gunther to win Raw's Intercontinental Championship , ending the latter's record-setting reign at 666 days, and in the opening bout, Rhea Ripley defeated Becky Lynch to retain Raw's Women's World Championship . In the main event for Night 2, Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match to win SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, ending
644-435: A bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether the individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in
805-415: A performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in the 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance
966-415: A professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
1127-605: A special "WrestleMania Edition" of Friday Night SmackDown , which featured the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal , won by Bronson Reed . Immediately after SmackDown , the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony commenced. The afternoon of WrestleMania Saturday, WWE's NXT brand held its annual WrestleMania Week event, Stand & Deliver . WrestleMania Week concluded with the post-WrestleMania edition of Monday Night Raw on April 8. These events were held live at
1288-464: A Riptide on Lynch for a nearfall. Lynch applied the Dis-Arm-Her on Ripley, which sent both of the ring and Ripley a powerbomb on Lynch to escape. Ripley performed a frog splash on Lynch for a near fall. In the closing moments, as Lynch attempted a second Manhandle Slam, Ripley countered and performed two Riptides on Lynch to retain the title. Next, The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) defended
1449-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
1610-520: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
1771-513: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
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#17328770785001932-574: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
2093-476: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Raw (WWE brand) Raw is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that
2254-404: A distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by the broader public. In the United States, wrestling
2415-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
2576-466: A handshake to Jey, the latter shook his brother's hand and embraced him, however, Jimmy responded with a super kick to Jey. Jimmy then performed the Frog Splash on Jey for a nearfall. In the end, Jey performed a Spear and Uso Splash on Jimmy to win the match. Next, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Naomi faced off against Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane) in a six-woman tag team match. In
2737-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
2898-754: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
3059-719: A match for the Intercontinental Championship the following month. On the March 11 episode of Raw , fed up with his brother's actions, Jey challenged Jimmy to a match at WrestleMania XL, which Jimmy accepted on that week's SmackDown . The match was later confirmed for Night 1. At the Royal Rumble, Logan Paul defeated Kevin Owens by disqualification to retain SmackDown's United States Championship. Paul had attempted to use his signature brass knuckles , but Owens instead used them and
3220-424: A more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for the purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise
3381-551: A nearfall. Sky performed an Over The Moonsault , but Bayley kicked out. After hitting Sky with an elbow drop , Bayley performed the Rose Plant and pinned Sky to win the title for a second time. In the main event of Night 2, Roman Reigns (accompanied by Paul Heyman) defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in a Bloodline Rules match against Cody Rhodes. During the match, Reigns and Rhodes fought into
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#17328770785003542-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
3703-493: A one-on-one match at any time, and Rollins again asserted that he would be in Rhodes's corner in facing The Bloodline. On the following SmackDown , Rock rejected Rhodes's challenge and instead offered a counter: a tag team match featuring Rhodes and Rollins against Rock and Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania XL Night 1 with an added stipulation that if Rhodes and Rollins won, then The Bloodline would be barred from ringside during
3864-517: A process they called the " brand extension ". The WWF divided itself into two de facto wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures . Raw and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other. The split came about as a result of the WWF purchasing their two biggest competitors, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW); and
4025-415: A result of both the men's and women's Royal Rumble match winners choosing to challenge for SmackDown's respective men's and women's world championships at WrestleMania XL, the challengers for Raw's respective men's and women's world championships at the event were decided by Elimination Chamber matches at Elimination Chamber: Perth. Raw's Becky Lynch won the women's eponymous match to face Rhea Ripley for
4186-668: A returning Stephanie McMahon hyping up the crowd for the event. In the first match, Seth "Freakin" Rollins defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre, with CM Punk as a special guest commentator. Immediately at the beginning of the match, McIntyre performed the Claymore Kick on Rollins for a nearfall. Outside the ring, McIntyre grabbed his cellphone and took a selfie with his wife, then took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and posted “Bored at work. LOL!”. Following this, Rollins performed
4347-454: A sex trafficking lawsuit against Vince McMahon , Lesnar was pulled from the Royal Rumble and all planned storylines for him leading into WrestleMania were scrapped. CM Punk, who after nearly 10 years made his return to WWE at Survivor Series: WarGames in November 2023, legitimately tore his right triceps during the men's Royal Rumble match. It was reported that his planned WrestleMania XL match
4508-484: A steel chair. Styles later explained that he attacked Knight for taking his spot in a tag team match at Fastlane in October 2023, saying he "stepped over his dead body" to get ahead. Both then participated in a fatal four-way match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble in January 2024, but were unsuccessful. Knight then qualified for the men's Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber: Perth
4669-589: A surprise appearance and seemingly called out Reigns by asking if he should sit at the "head of the table", a reference to their relationship through the Anoaʻi family as for over three years, Reigns had claimed he was the Head of the Table and Tribal Chief of The Bloodline , a faction of wrestlers from the family that, at the time, included Reigns and his cousins Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa , managed by Paul Heyman . Rhodes again won
4830-590: A talent exchange program with the former ECW brand, while during the second brand split (2016–present), the brand's wrestlers have appeared in the interbrand Worlds Collide , Mixed Match Challenge , and annual Tribute to the Troops events. Additionally during the second split, Raw's cruiserweight wrestlers competed on 205 Live when WWE's revived cruiserweight division was exclusive to Raw from 2016 to 2018 before 205 Live became its own brand. In early-to-mid-2002, then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) underwent
4991-772: A third consecutive Cross Rhodes on Reigns, Rock whipped Rhodes with the weight belt, allowing Reigns to perform the Spear on Rhodes. Reigns tagged in Rock, who performed the Rock Bottom and the People's Elbow on Rhodes and pinned him to win the match, making the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match on Night 2 to be held under Bloodline Rules. This match was the second longest in WrestleMania history (after Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII in March 1996). WrestleMania Sunday began with
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5152-497: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
5313-575: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
5474-645: A world title and tag team title, although raw superstars were allowed to challenge for them. Beginning in December 2021, talents from Raw begin to appear on NXT 2.0 . Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio reported that a Raw-NXT crossover between their talents as a way to help boost NXT 2.0 ratings as both shows air on the USA Network. Initially, the WWE Undisputed Championship and
5635-436: Is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which
5796-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
5957-427: Is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as a genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has
6118-470: Is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain a " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to
6279-476: Is the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April, featuring wrestlers from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions . Along with Royal Rumble , SummerSlam , Survivor Series , and Money in the Bank , it is one of the company's five biggest events of the year, referred to as the "Big Five". WrestleMania was ranked the sixth-most valuable sports brand in
6440-630: The Attitude Adjustment on Bálor and pinned him for a three count. Truth celebrated, thinking it was a traditional tag team match, however, Miz had informed Truth that they had to unhook the title belts down to win them. Truth then suggested that #DIY go after the Raw Tag Team Championship, while he and Miz go after the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. The two teams were then knocked down by A-Town Down Under, who climbed
6601-489: The Blue Thunder Bomb , but Gunther countered again and applied another sleeper hold. Gunther performed a dropkick and powerbomb on Zayn for a nearfall. Gunther executed multiple powerbombs, but Zayn kicked out. Gunther started mocking Zayn's wife, who was seated in the front row and performed multiple top rope splashes on Zayn. As Gunther climbed the top rope, Zayn performed a Helluva Kick and Brainbuster on Gunther on
WrestleMania XL - Misplaced Pages Continue
6762-534: The Cross Rhodes . Rhodes went for the pin, but Rock pulled the referee out of the ring. Reigns recovered and hit Rhodes from behind with a low blow and a Spear. Rock rolled the referee back inside the ring for a nearfall. Outside the ring, Rock grabbed the weight belt with Rhodes' blood on it and taunted Rhodes' mother, who was seated at ringside. Back in the ring, Rock attempted the People's Elbow , but Rhodes countered with
6923-609: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
7084-734: The Phenomenal Forearm on Knight, who countered and performed the Blunt Force Trauma on Styles and pinned him to win his WrestleMania debut. In the next match, Logan Paul (accompanied by the Prime energy drink mascot) defended the United States Championship against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Throughout the match, Orton and Owens double-teamed Paul. As Orton and Owens attempted to pin Paul, both men traded punches to each other, giving Paul
7245-718: The WWE Championship , a title his father Dusty Rhodes never held. Also at WrestleMania 38, Roman Reigns became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by retaining the WWE Universal Championship and winning the WWE Championship. Rhodes subsequently won the 2023 Royal Rumble match but failed to defeat Reigns for the undisputed title at WrestleMania 39. A year later, prior to the 2024 Royal Rumble at Raw : Day 1 on January 1, The Rock made
7406-658: The WWE Women's Championship , the United States Championship , and the WWE Tag Team Championship . With the WWE Championship being defended exclusively on SmackDown, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley introduced the WWE Universal Championship to be Raw's world title . At Crown Jewel on October 31, 2019, SmackDown wrestler "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt won the WWE Universal Championship, thus taking
7567-472: The Women's World Championship , while Raw's Drew McIntyre won the men's to face Seth "Freakin" Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. The Women's World Championship match was scheduled for Night 1, with the World Heavyweight Championship match set for Night 2. On the March 25 episode of Raw , it was announced that CM Punk , who had issues with both Rollins and McIntyre but had gotten legitimately injured at
7728-590: The cold open for the event on both nights. On Night 1, Grammy Award winning R&B singer and actress Coco Jones opened the show by performing " The Star-Spangled Banner ". Grammy winning rapper Lil Wayne debuted his latest single during the event. Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson were involved in the Rey Mysterio and Andrade vs. Santos Escobar and "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio tag team match, aiding Rey and Andrade. Metalcore band Motionless In White appeared and performed
7889-543: The independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in the United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including
8050-431: The spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from the competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on
8211-577: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
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#17328770785008372-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
8533-460: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
8694-641: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
8855-544: The August 29, 2011, episode of Raw , it was announced that performers from Raw and SmackDown were no longer exclusive to their respective brand. Subsequently, championships previously exclusive to one show or the other were available for wrestlers from any show to compete for—this would mark the end of the brand extension as all programming and live events featured the full WWE roster. In a 2013 interview with Advertising Age , Stephanie McMahon explained that WWE's decision to end
9016-458: The Bank contract and defeated McIntyre to win the title. The event was also known for the final WWE match and appearance of Bobby Lashley who departed the company in August. This was the first WrestleMania held after WWE merged with the Endeavor subsidiary Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in September 2023, under the banner of TKO Group Holdings . It was the first WrestleMania under TKO and
9177-464: The Bank winner Damian Priest then ran out to the ring with his briefcase, attacked McIntyre with it, and cashed in the contract. Priest immediately performed the South of Heaven on McIntyre and pinned him to win the title. This made him the first WWE world champion of Puerto Rican descent in over fifty years and only the second WWE world champion of Puerto Rican descent after Pedro Morales . This also made him
9338-460: The Cody Cutter. Reigns attempted the Spear on Rhodes, who was pushed out of the way by Rollins, causing Reigns to accidentally spear Rock. Rhodes and Rollins performed simultaneous Pedigrees on Rock and Reigns for a nearfall. Outside the ring, Rhodes performed the Rock Bottom on Rock through the broadcast table, while Reigns speared Rollins through the barricade. Back in the ring, as Rhodes attempted
9499-596: The February 12 episode of Raw , Rhodes claimed that it was because of the fans that he reversed his decision and decided to challenge Reigns. Rollins interrupted and stated that he understood Rhodes's decision and offered to be his backup due to Reigns always having his family in his corner. In response on that week's SmackDown , The Rock officially joined The Bloodline and vowed that he would do everything in his power to ensure Rhodes did not finish his story. At Elimination Chamber: Perth on February 24, Rhodes challenged Rock to
9660-537: The General Managers of the respective brands hand-picking the wrestlers for their brands. Raw's Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley created a new championship—the WWE Universal Championship . This championship would be exclusive to the Raw brand, as the WWE World Championship had become exclusive to the SmackDown brand. Clash of Champions was scheduled as the reintroduction of
9821-448: The March 29 episode of SmackDown , following Belair's win over Kai, Damage CTRL engaged in a beatdown of Belair and Naomi. Jade Cargill , who was making her debut as an official roster member of the brand that night, made the save after weeks of teasing a feud with the faction. Later, it was announced that Cargill, Naomi, and Belair would face Damage CTRL (Kai, Asuka, and Sane) in a six-woman tag team match at WrestleMania XL Night 1. As
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#17328770785009982-560: The March 29 episode of SmackDown . On April 1, the match was confirmed for Night 1, and it was also clarified that both sets of titles under the Undisputed Championship banner (the Raw and SmackDown tag titles) had to be retrieved for the match to end. On the December 15, 2023, episode of SmackDown , AJ Styles made a return from injury and helped LA Knight in fending off The Bloodline, but then turned on Knight and attacked him with
10143-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
10304-477: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
10465-602: The Pedigree on McIntyre. The latter beat the count, but as he went back into the ring, Rollins immediately performed the Stomp for a nearfall. McIntyre turned his attention to Punk and mocked him by signaling for his finisher, the GTS , but Rollins countered into an inside cradle for a nearfall. McIntyre then performed another Claymore Kick on Rollins for a nearfall. In the climax, as Rollins kicked out of another Claymore Kick, McIntyre hit him with
10626-484: The Prime logo placed in the center of the ring mat for PPV and livestreaming events, in turn becoming WWE's first center ring mat sponsor. Orton interrupted and attempted an RKO on Paul, but Paul escaped with KSI instead receiving the RKO. The following week, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced that Paul would defend the United States Championship against Owens and Orton in a triple threat match at WrestleMania XL, which
10787-630: The RKO. Paul then threw Orton out of the ring and performed the Frog Splash on Owens and pinned him to retain the title. In the penultimate match, Iyo Sky defended the WWE Women's Championship against Bayley. During the match, Sky performed two consecutive bridge suplexes on Bayley for a nearfall. Sky applied the STF and transitioned into a crossface , in which Bayley escaped and performed the Bayley to Belly on Sky for
10948-703: The Royal Rumble match in 2024 . With the introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship after WrestleMania 39, Rhodes received a choice of which world title to challenge for at WrestleMania XL. During the Royal Rumble post-event press conference, Rhodes stated that he wanted to face Reigns again for SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, but on the January 29 episode of Raw , Seth "Freakin" Rollins argued that Rhodes should instead challenge him for Raw's World Heavyweight Championship. On that week's SmackDown , Rhodes announced that he would not challenge Reigns at WrestleMania and said that one of
11109-439: The Royal Rumble, would serve as a special guest commentator for the World Heavyweight Championship match. After several wrestlers declared their intentions to challenge Gunther for Raw's Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XL, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce announced that a gauntlet match would be held on the March 11 episode of Raw with the winner facing Gunther for the title at WrestleMania. The gauntlet match
11270-551: The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship in a Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match against #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa), The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth), A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller), and New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) in which both sets of titles had to be retrieved for the match to end. During the match, Truth performed
11431-557: The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania XL. On April 1, a six-man tag team Philadelphia Street Fight pitting The Final Testament against The Pride was confirmed for WrestleMania XL Night 2. Brock Lesnar , who last appeared at SummerSlam in August 2023, was planned to return at the Royal Rumble and be featured in a match at WrestleMania XL, reportedly against Gunther for the WWE Intercontinental Championship . However, due to Lesnar being referenced in
11592-416: The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between Reigns and Rhodes on Night 2, but if Rock and Reigns won, then the championship match would be held under Bloodline Rules. While Rock and Rollins were fighting outside the ring, Rock warned referee Chad Patton that he would fire him if there was a countout. As Reigns tagged in Rock, Rock performed a low blow on Rollins. Patton apologized to Rhodes as there
11753-468: The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match garnering ubiquitous acclaim for its storytelling and satisfying conclusion. WrestleMania is WWE 's flagship pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event , having first been held in 1985 . It was the company's first PPV produced and was also WWE's first major event available via livestreaming when the company launched the WWE Network in February 2014. It
11914-669: The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match on Night 2; however, if Rock and Reigns won, then the championship match would be contested under The Bloodline's rules in which anything goes . Rhodes and Rollins appeared on the next week's episode where they accepted the challenge. At SummerSlam in July 2022, Bayley made her return from injury alongside Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky with the trio dubbing themselves Damage CTRL . Kairi Sane , who returned to WWE in November 2023 and who had previous issues with Bayley before her departure, forgave Bayley and joined with Damage CTRL, followed by Asuka joining
12075-439: The WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania XL. Kai was absent when Sky, Asuka, and Sane turned on Bayley and although she seemingly sided with Bayley the next week, Kai also turned on her on the March 1 episode. On April 1, the WWE Women's Championship match was confirmed for Night 2. Concurrent to their feud with Bayley, Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane) were also feuding with Naomi and Bianca Belair . On
12236-591: The WrestleMania festivities, WWE held a number of events throughout the week. WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker presented his 1 deadMAN Show on Thursday, April 4 at The Fillmore Philadelphia. From that same day through April 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, there was a fan convention called WWE World at WrestleMania. In partnership with Fanatics Events , the five-day event included interview panel sessions with WWE wrestlers,
12397-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
12558-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
12719-550: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
12880-478: The brand extension was due to wanting their content to flow across television and online platforms. On May 25, 2016, it was announced that WWE would be reintroducing the brand split in July, with distinctive rosters for both Raw and SmackDown. On the July 11 episode of Raw , Vince McMahon named Stephanie McMahon the Commissioner of Raw . The draft took place on the live premiere of SmackDown on July 19, with
13041-448: The brass knuckles on the ring apron. Later that night, Escobar attacked Rey as he was checking on Carlito, injuring Rey's left knee and striking it with steel steps, turning heel and defecting from the LWO. After a three-month hiatus, Rey returned on the March 1 episode of SmackDown to help Carlito defeat Escobar in a street fight . Three weeks later, Escobar defeated Rey after interference from
13202-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
13363-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
13524-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
13685-478: The city of Philadelphia and state of Pennsylvania, after WrestleMania XV in 1999. The card comprised a total of 14 matches, with seven on each night. In the main event for Night 1, The Bloodline ( The Rock and Roman Reigns ) defeated Cody Rhodes and Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a tag team match , which made the stipulation of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match on Night 2
13846-597: The city, noting the economic boost from visiting fans. The event's logo was revealed on October 8, 2022, during the Extreme Rules Kickoff pre-show at the nearby Wells Fargo Center . Themed after the Liberty Bell and in the colors of the Philadelphia Eagles , it incorporated Roman numerals for the first time since WrestleMania XXX in 2014, thus officially stylizing the title as WrestleMania XL. Tickets for
14007-508: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
14168-514: The crowd, where Rhodes suplexed Reigns on a table. Back in the ring, Reigns performed a back suplex and a fisherman's suplex on Rhodes for nearfalls. Outside the ring, Reigns performed a low blow on Rhodes before powerbombing him through an announce table. The two continued to fight back in the ring, where Rhodes performed the Cross Rhodes on Reigns, but as he attempted a second, Jimmy Uso attacked Rhodes. However, Jey Uso ran in. The two fought up
14329-419: The cruiserweight division and the first Raw-exclusive pay-per-view since January 2007 , whereas Elimination Chamber was scheduled as the final Raw-exclusive pay-per-view two years later . Subsequently, this saw all upcoming pay-per-views interbranded after WrestleMania 34 . After SmackDown moved to Fox in October 2019, Raw lost its status as the main "A" Show. Following WrestleMania 38 it also didn't have
14490-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
14651-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
14812-603: The end, Asuka accidentally spit mist in Sane's face, allowing Belair to whip Asuka with her ponytail and followed up with the KOD . Cargill then performed the Jaded on Kai to win the match. In the penultimate match, Gunther defended the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn. As Zayn charged for the Helluva Kick , Gunther countered into a sleeper hold submission. Zayn escaped and attempted
14973-426: The end, two masked men incapacitated Dominik, and Rey then performed a 619 on Dominik and Escobar. Andrade performed The Message on Dominik and Rey performed a diving splash on Escobar to win the match. Following the match, the masked men, who were revealed as Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, celebrated with the LWO. In the fourth match, Jey Uso faced his brother Jimmy Uso in only
15134-604: The entrance ramp and Jey speared Jimmy off the ramp through tables. Reigns applied the guillotine choke, but Rhodes forced himself and Reigns out of the ring, where Rhodes speared Reigns through the barricade. Much like the previous year's WrestleMania, Rhodes performed the Cross Rhodes on Reigns twice, only for Solo Sikoa to appear and perform a Samoan Spike on Rhodes just before the third attempt. Professional wrestling 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling )
15295-527: The event streamed live on Netflix in New Zealand, as a technical stress test for when the promotion's new contract with Netflix comes into effect in January 2025. As a result of said contract, all WWE Network content will move to Netflix in all countries where the former is still available as a standalone service, making WrestleMania XL the final WrestleMania event to livestream on the WWE Network. As part of
15456-458: The event went on sale on August 18, 2023. Over 90,000 tickets were sold on the first day for both nights combined, breaking WWE's record set by the prior year's WrestleMania. From January 2023, there had been speculation that WWE had been placed up for sale. Hours before WrestleMania 39 Night 2 began, CNBC reported via multiple sources that a deal between WWE and Endeavor , the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) via Zuffa ,
15617-597: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
15778-735: The first WrestleMania under TKO. WrestleMania XL was broadcast live on traditional pay-per-view worldwide. Additionally, it was available to livestream on Peacock in the United States, Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia , Disney+ in the Philippines , Binge in Australia, Abema in Japan, SonyLIV in India, Shahid and SSC in the Middle East and North Africa and the WWE Network in all other countries. Additionally,
15939-421: The first not directly under McMahon family control. It was also the final WrestleMania to livestream on the standalone WWE Network , which is set to close in any markets where the service is still available in January 2025, with WWE content moving to Netflix . The event received highly positive reviews, with Night 2 being singled out for critical acclaim. Praise was given to all seven championship matches, with
16100-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
16261-602: The five vacant spots—three teams from Raw and two from SmackDown—occurred over the subsequent episodes of Raw and SmackDown . The three teams from Raw were determined by qualifier matches on the March 18 episode of Raw , which were won by #DIY ( Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa ), The Awesome Truth ( The Miz and R-Truth ), and The New Day ( Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods ). The two teams from SmackDown were determined by two tournament brackets, which were won by A-Town Down Under ( Austin Theory and Grayson Waller ) and New Catch Republic ( Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate ) on
16422-463: The following month, but Styles did not. During the match itself, Styles snuck into the chamber and attacked Knight with a steel chair, causing Knight to be eliminated. After more weeks of feuding, Knight challenged Styles to a match at WrestleMania XL and Styles accepted, which was later confirmed for Night 2. Prior to the summer of 2023, The Usos ( Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) were a unit of their family's stable, The Bloodline, on SmackDown. However, due to
16583-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
16744-455: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
16905-477: The group, subsequently reuniting The Kabuki Warriors in the process. The group would attain success on SmackDown, including multiple WWE Women's Tag Team Championship reigns, as well as Sky winning the WWE Women's Championship . Bayley then won the 2024 women's Royal Rumble match, thus earning a women's championship match of her choice at WrestleMania XL. Bayley had previously said she would be going after Raw's women's championship so that Damage CTRL would hold all
17066-513: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
17227-417: The individuals he took counsel from in making his decision knew Reigns very well. The Rock then came out and stared down Reigns, with the clear implication that he would be Reigns's WrestleMania opponent instead. This decision drew intense fan backlash with the hashtag #WeWantCody trending on social media worldwide, which caused WWE to legitimately pivot their story plans. A WrestleMania XL Kickoff media event
17388-471: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
17549-487: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
17710-466: The ladder and retrieved the SmackDown titles to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions. New Catch Republic then sent Waller crashing through ladders outside the ring. #DIY then set two tables next to each other at ringside. Judgment Day member JD McDonagh ascended the ladder to unhook the belts, however, The New Day tipped over the ladder, causing McDonagh to crash through the tables. In the end, Truth performed another Attitude Adjustment on Priest over
17871-528: The latter's son, "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, who had turned on his father at Clash at the Castle in September 2022 to join The Judgment Day. One week later, Escobar and his Legado Del Fantasma stablemates thanked Dominik for his actions. Rey interrupted, introduced Dragon Lee as the newest member of the LWO, and Rey and Lee subsequently challenged Escobar and Dominik to a tag team match at WrestleMania XL, which
18032-461: The latter's world championship reign at 1,316 days. In other prominent matches, Bayley defeated Iyo Sky to win SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship , Logan Paul defeated Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a triple threat match to retain SmackDown's United States Championship , and in the opening bout, Drew McIntyre defeated Seth "Freakin" Rollins to win Raw's World Heavyweight Championship , after which, Damian Priest cashed in his Money in
18193-417: The maneuver again and pinned him to finally win a WWE world title in front of a live crowd. After the match, McIntyre let his wife hold the title, then walked over to the announce table to mock Punk, telling him not to come back, or he would end his career. After McIntyre did a crotch chop, Punk stood up and tripped McIntyre. Punk then removed the brace from his arm and hit McIntyre with it. 2023 Men's Money in
18354-423: The manipulations of its leader, Roman Reigns, The Usos left the group which eventually led to a "Bloodline Civil War" tag team match at Money in the Bank against Reigns and Solo Sikoa, in which The Usos won. Jey then faced Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam that August, but Jimmy interfered and cost his brother the match. On the following SmackDown , Jimmy explained that he cost Jey
18515-436: The match to keep him from gaining power and becoming corrupted like Reigns. Jey subsequently attacked Jimmy and "quit" WWE, but was later reinstated as a member of the Raw roster. Despite being on different shows, Jimmy, who rejoined The Bloodline, would often appear on Raw and attack Jey or cost him matches. The two would also face off in the men's Royal Rumble match in January 2024 as the first two entrants. Jimmy then cost Jey
18676-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
18837-482: The nearby Wells Fargo Center. Between all of the WrestleMania Weekend events ( SmackDown /HOF induction ceremony, Stand & Deliver, both nights of WrestleMania XL, and Raw ), WWE announced a grand total attendance of 201,924. As is tradition at WrestleMania, celebrities from outside of wrestling participated at the event in various capacities, such as rapper and Philadelphia native Meek Mill , who narrated
18998-556: The opportunity to roll outside. Owens attempted the Stunner on Orton, only for the latter to counter into the RKO for a nearfall. Paul then hit Orton with his brass knuckles for a nearfall. Orton set up for the Punt Kick , but the Prime mascot pulled Paul outside the ring and revealed himself as IShowSpeed. Orton then performed the RKO on IShowSpeed through the announce table. Back in the ring, Orton countered Owens' Pop-Up Powerbomb attempt into
19159-546: The original WWE Women's Championship soon became a Raw exclusive title as well. As a result of the brand extension, an annual " draft lottery " was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups. Raw was the home brand for many top WWE stars including Triple H, Ric Flair , R-Truth , Batista , Randy Orton , Chris Benoit , CM Punk , Goldberg , Booker T , Chris Jericho , Christian , Shawn Michaels , John Cena , Kane , Cody Rhodes , Trish Stratus , Lita and Stacy Keibler . The 2005 draft
19320-535: The original WWE Women's Championship were available to both brands. The other championships were exclusive to the brand the champion was a part of. When the brand extension began, Raw received the Intercontinental Championship and the European Championship when their respective holders were drafted. In September 2002, the WWE Undisputed Championship became the WWE Championship again and
19481-437: The platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of the venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as
19642-714: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
19803-474: The returning Authors of Pain ( Akam and Rezar ), accompanied by Paul Ellering , with Kross, Scarlett, Authors of Pain, and Ellering forming a faction called The Final Testament . The two groups would continue feuding over the next couple of months and on the March 29 episode of SmackDown , The Final Testament attacked Lashley and B-Fab backstage, causing a distraction that cost The Street Profits (Dawkins and Ford) their tournament final match to qualify for
19964-513: The ring and a Beck-sploder on Ripley at ringside. Lynch applied the Dis-arm-her on Ripley, who escaped by performing three sit-out powerbombs on Lynch for a nearfall. Lynch attempted another leg drop on Ripley, who countered into a Prison Trap submission maneuver, however, Lynch escaped. As Ripley attempted the Riptide , Lynch countered into a Manhandle Slam on Ripley for a nearfall. Ripley performed
20125-641: The ring for his WWE United States Championship defense (wearing a Prime bottle costume at the start and then revealing himself while the match was in progress). The event included 14 matches, split evenly between both nights, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown . After Cody Rhodes made his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022, he declared he would finish his story by winning
20286-426: The second person to cash in his briefcase at WrestleMania (after Rollins at WrestleMania 31 in 2015). McIntyre's reign lasted five minutes and 46 seconds. Next, The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins, and Montez Ford, accompanied by B-Fab) faced The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam, and Rezar, accompanied by Scarlett and Paul Ellering) in a Philadelphia Street Fight match. WWE Hall of Famer and rapper Snoop Dogg
20447-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
20608-503: The subsequent doubling of its roster and championships . The brand extension was publicly announced by Linda McMahon during a telecast of Raw on March 25 and became official the next day. At the time, this excluded the WWE Undisputed Championship and the original WWE Women's Championship as those WWE titles would be defended on both shows. In September 2002, then WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar refused to defend
20769-413: The table. Lashley then pinned Kross to win the match. After the match, Snoop Dogg joined The Pride and Dudley inside the ring and celebrated with them. After that, LA Knight faced AJ Styles. Before the match began, Knight and Styles ensued in a brawl. As Knight went for a superplex, Styles slipped under him and tripped him, causing Knight's head to hit the top turnbuckle pad. In the climax, Styles attempted
20930-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
21091-558: The theme song of Rhea Ripley called "Demon In Your Dreams". On Night 2, Country music duo The War and Treaty performed " God Bless America " to open the show. WWE Hall of Famer and rapper Snoop Dogg was on commentary for the Philadelphia Street Fight , and returned later alongside the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders to announce the evening's attendance. Rapper and YouTuber IShowSpeed accompanied Logan Paul to
21252-475: The third-ever real life brother vs. brother match at WrestleMania (after Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X in March 1994 and Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy at WrestleMania 25 in April 2009). Before the match officially began, the two brawled at ringside. During the match, Jey and Jimmy traded multiple superkicks against each other. As Jey attempted a superkick on Jimmy, Jimmy pleaded forgiveness to Jey with Jimmy feigning an apology. After Jimmy offered
21413-452: The title at WrestleMania. After bringing up each other's families, Rock claimed that he and Rhodes now had issues and he slapped Rhodes in the face, turning heel for the first time since 2003. In the ensuing brawl, Rollins backed Rhodes. On the following SmackDown , WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H affirmed that the main event of WrestleMania XL Night 2 would be Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Rhodes. On
21574-400: The title on Raw , in effect causing his title to become exclusive to SmackDown! . The following week on Raw , Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded a newly instated World Heavyweight Championship to Raw's designated number one contender Triple H . Because the WWE Undisputed Championship was now a SmackDown! exclusive title, it was no longer referred to as "undisputed". Following this,
21735-663: The top rope to the floor. Truth then ascended the ladder and unhooked the Raw titles to win them, concluding the match as well as ending the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship with the two titles now separated. This made Truth the oldest Raw Tag Team Champion in the title's history and marked his first win at WrestleMania. After that, Rey Mysterio and Andrade (accompanied by Rey's LWO stablemates Carlito, Cruz Del Toro , Joaquin Wilde , and Zelina Vega) faced Santos Escobar and "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio (accompanied by Escobar's Legado del Fantasma stablemates Angel , Berto , and Elektra Lopez ). In
21896-432: The top turnbuckle. Zayn then followed up with two consecutive Helluva Kicks and pinned Gunther to win the title for a fourth time, ending Gunther's 666 day reign as champion. In the main event of Night 1, The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns, accompanied by Paul Heyman) faced Cody Rhodes and Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a match where if Rhodes and Rollins won, all members of The Bloodline would be barred from ringside during
22057-505: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
22218-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
22379-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
22540-449: The women's titles of Raw and SmackDown; however, on the February 2 episode of SmackDown , after Bayley overheard Sky, Asuka, and Sane talking behind her back, Bayley revealed she understood Japanese and heard them making fun of her. Bayley was then kicked out of Damage CTRL after Asuka and Sane attacked her, turning face for the first time since 2019. After fighting off the rest of Damage CTRL, Bayley decided that she would challenge Sky for
22701-629: The world by Forbes , and has been described as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment . Much like the Super Bowl, cities bid for the right to host WrestleMania. The official theme song for the event was " Gasoline " by The Weeknd , which marked the fifth consecutive year that a Weeknd song was used for WrestleMania. On July 27, 2022, it was announced that Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania would host WrestleMania 40 on April 6 and 7, 2024. Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney welcomed WWE to
22862-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
23023-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
23184-476: Was a SmackDown wrestler. Triple H, who was the WWE Champion at the time, got drafted to SmackDown while Kane, who was the then ECW Champion , got drafted to Raw. After the draft lottery in 2009 , the WWE Championship was brought back to Raw when Triple H was drafted from SmackDown while the World Heavyweight Championship was brought back to SmackDown when Edge defeated John Cena to win the title at Backlash . On
23345-458: Was caught, thus was disqualified. The following month at Elimination Chamber: Perth, Paul, Owens, and Randy Orton were participants in the men's Elimination Chamber match. Orton eliminated both Owens and Paul, who in turn caused Orton to be eliminated by punching him with the brass knuckles. On the March 8 episode of SmackDown , Paul and his business partner KSI announced that their energy drink company, Prime, would be an official WWE sponsor with
23506-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
23667-473: Was discontinued between August 2011 and July 2016. In addition to Raw's main television program, less-utilized wrestlers also appear on the brand's supplementary show, Main Event . Raw's wrestlers also perform on the branded and co-branded pay-per-view and livestreaming events . During the first brand split (2002–2011), Raw wrestlers also competed on the former supplementary show, Heat , and on ECW under
23828-434: Was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to Raw primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, Monday Night Raw , also referred to simply as Raw . It is one of WWE's two main brands, along with SmackDown , collectively referred to as WWE's main roster. The brand extension
23989-449: Was held on the June 6 episode of Raw . The first draft lottery pick was then WWE Champion John Cena , thus moving the WWE Championship to Raw and having two titles on the brand. Eventually, then World Heavyweight Champion Batista was drafted to SmackDown! as the last draft pick, leaving only the WWE Championship on Raw . In the 2008 draft lottery , CM Punk got drafted to Raw and then won the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge , who
24150-532: Was imminent. The deal involved a merger of WWE with the UFC into a new publicly traded company, with Endeavor holding a 51% stake. The sale was confirmed the next day on April 3, 2023, and was finalized on September 12, with WWE merging with the UFC to become divisions of TKO Group Holdings . WrestleMania XL was in turn the first WrestleMania held in which WWE was not owned and controlled by the McMahon family , and subsequently
24311-417: Was later confirmed for Night 2. At Crown Jewel in November 2023, Rey Mysterio lost the United States Championship to Logan Paul after his Latino World Order (LWO) stablemate, Santos Escobar, left Paul's signature brass knuckles on the ring apron, allowing Paul to hit Rey with them and win the title. On the following episode of SmackDown , fellow LWO member Carlito accused Escobar of intentionally leaving
24472-473: Was made official for Night 1. The following week, however, Lee was attacked backstage, rendering him unable to compete at WrestleMania. Andrade, who assisted Rey in fending off Escobar and Dominik earlier that night and reunited with LWO's Zelina Vega , was named Lee's replacement. At SmackDown : New Year's Revolution on January 5, Karrion Kross , accompanied by Scarlett , attacked The Pride ( Bobby Lashley , Angelo Dawkins , and Montez Ford ) with help from
24633-497: Was moved to SmackDown, prompting Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff to create the World Heavyweight Championship for Raw. Shortly thereafter, Raw became the exclusive brand for the World Tag Team Championship , the Intercontinental Championship and the original WWE Women's Championship. On July 19, 2016, the brand extension was brought back and for the first time ever the draft was held on SmackDown Live . Raw drafted
24794-549: Was nothing he could do about it. Rock applied the Sharpshooter on Rollins, in which Rhodes broke it up by slapping Rock in the face. As Reigns' nose was bleeding, he attempted the Spear on Rhodes, who countered and performed a Sunset Flip for a nearfall. Rhodes performed the Cody Cutter and Rollins followed up with a frog splash on Reigns for a nearfall. Rollins performed a second Stomp on Reigns, in which Rhodes followed up with
24955-636: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
25116-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
25277-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
25438-412: Was the special guest commentator for the match, and WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley was introduced as the special guest referee . In the end, Kross bickered with Dudley and shoved him. Dudley then pulled out his Hansen Brothers glasses and put them on and then signaled to "Get The Tables". Ford and Dawkins grabbed a table and set it up inside the ring. Ford then performed a Frog Splash on Kross through
25599-463: Was then held on February 8 where Reigns and The Rock declared that they would face each other for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XL, which The Rock dubbed as "the biggest match in the history of professional wrestling." However, Rhodes appeared and asserted that since he won the Royal Rumble, he earned the right to decide the main event and announced that he had reversed his decision and would challenge Reigns for
25760-466: Was to challenge Seth "Freakin" Rollins for Raw's World Heavyweight Championship, but due to his injury, plans were changed. WrestleMania Saturday began with WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H welcoming and hyping up the fans for the event. In the first match, Rhea Ripley defended the Women World's Championship against Becky Lynch. During the match, Lynch performed a leg drop on Ripley, sending her out of
25921-496: Was won by Sami Zayn , and the Intercontinental Championship match was later confirmed for Night 1. On the March 11 episode of Raw , Raw General Manager Adam Pearce and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced that at WrestleMania XL, The Judgment Day ( Finn Bálor and Damian Priest ) would defend the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship in a Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match . Qualifying matches for
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