Grandest Entrances in Wrestlemania History

Grandest Entrances in Wrestlemania History

Every year, fans anticipate the biggest wrestling show of the year, WWE’s Wrestlemania. This year marks the 29^th year that Wrestlemania take place and fans are already looking forward to the scheduled matches including Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H, John Cena vs. The Rock and CM Punk vs. The Undertaker. Fans are also excited about the glitz and glamour that comes with this Wrestlemania, especially in relation to the WWE Superstar’s unique and spectacular entrances. Here is a look back at some of the most fabulous entrances on the grandest stage of them all.

The Undertaker- Wrestlemania 9:

At Wrestlemania 9, The Undertaker would face Giant Gonzales at the Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.  This match took place on April 4, 1993. Giant Gonzales would use a rag soaked with chloroform to knock the Undertaker unconscious.

The Undertaker would win the match after Giant Gonzales was disqualified by the referee for using a foreign object. After the match, The Undertaker would recover and attack Giant Gonzales. What’s interesting about Undertaker’s entrance for this match was that he came out to the ring with a vulture.

Kane & The Undertaker- Wrestlemania 20:

The Undertaker is known for being undefeated at Wrestlemania, currently having  a total of 20 wins at the annual pay per view. This match is one of my favorite Wrestlemania matches. After being buried alive by his kayfabe (storyline) brother Kane at Survivor Series 2003, Undertaker would re-emerge to challenge Kane at Wrestlemania 20 on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.

Kane, in complete disbelief that Undertaker had returned would lose the match, leaving The Undertaker’s  historical Wrestlemania winning streak intact. What made these two entrances stand out was Kane walking out to the background of a burning city and The Undertaker’s entrance bringing back a returning Paul Bearer, who managed both Kane and The Undertaker as their kayfabe (storyline) father. Sadly, this would be Paul Bearer’s last Wrestlemania appearance as he recently died on March 5, 2013. He was only 58 years old and died after suffering a heart attack from an apparent high heart rate known as supraventricular tachycardia.

Triple H & John Cena- Wrestlemania 22:

Triple H and John Cena would face off at Wrestlemania 22 on April 2, 2006 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The match was for the WWE Championship. John Cena would end up retaining the WWE Championship. What was unique about these entrances was Triple H coming out as a Conan the Barbarian-type king on his throne and John Cena coming out with a gangster entrance. CM Punk also made his Wrestlemania debut as one of the members of Cena’s gangster posse.

Rey Mysterio- Wrestlemania 25:

Rey Mysterio would face John Bradshaw Layfield for the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania 25. The match took place on April 5, 2009 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.  Rey Mysterio would defeat John Bradshaw Layfield to become the new Intercontinental Champion. Rey Mysterio is known for having special ring attire at Wrestlemania and Summerslam pay-per-views, as they are the two biggest WWE pay-per-views each year. At this particular Wrestlemania, Rey Mysterio paid tribute to the late actor, Heath Ledger by dressing up as The Joker from the popular comic book series, Batman.

Shawn Michaels-Wrestlemania 25:

Shawn Michaels, determined to break The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak would face him at Wrestlemania 25. Shawn Michaels would lose the match, thus leaving The Undertaker’s legendary Wrestlemania winning streak still intact. What made Shawn Michael’s entrance so different was that he ascends from above in a large white coat.

 Being a Christian wrestler who is very open about his faith, WWE was portraying the image that Shawn Michaels was ascending from Heaven. Once he reaches the floor, fireworks begin to spark, making Shawn Michaels temporarily unable to be seen. Once the fireworks stop, Shawn Michaels reappears in his regular ring attire.

Triple H- Wrestlemania 25:

Triple H would face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 25. Triple H was the reigning champion and would win the match to remain WWE Champion. What made Triple H’s entrance special was how WWE made Triple H appear in a pre-recorded part of the entrance.  In the pre-recorded part of the entrance, only seen by those who ordered the pay-per-view that night and not by the actual live audience, Triple H is shown taking his signature weapon, a sledgehammer and throwing it through a sheet of glass, breaking the glass instantly. It can be obviously seen that the broken glass bit was pre-recorded as when you see Triple H walk towards the ring, the broken glass on the ground suddenly disappears.

There are also videos that fans recorded from that night that show Triple H standing on the top of the stage waiting for the sound of the glass breaking as his cue to continue walking down the ring for his match that evening. WWE most likely pre-recorded the broken glass part as a safety precaution. Despite the broken glass part being pre-recorded, it was still executed well and unique.

Notable Mentions:

Shawn Michaels- Wrestlemania 12

Rey Mysterio-Wrestlemania 27