Throughout its existence, WWE WrestleMania has been the backdrop to some of the most historic moments and matches in the history of professional wrestling.
Countdown on WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments From WrestleMania XX (20)
With the WWE set to celebrate the 31st edition of the cornerstone event on Sunday, March 29 from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Sports World News continues to countdown to the big event with a look at the best moments from each edition of the marquee spectacle.
In 2006, the WWE went back to Illinois for the third time in WrestleMania history and was ready to have two of its biggest Superstars clash as John Cena and Triple H waged war over the WWE Championship.
Countdown on WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments From WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 22 took place live from the Rosemont Horizon on April 2, 2006 in front of 17,159 fans and had the tagline "Big Time."
Here are our three best moments from WrestleMania 22:
Honorable Mention: Rob Van Dam catapulted himself to the main event level by winning the second annual Money in the Bank Ladder Match to earn a contract good for a WWE Championship shot.
3) Mysterio Wins It For Eddie: Following the untimely death of Eddie Guerrero in November 2005, the WWE did some questionable things involving "Latino Heat's" passing in storylines, but one good thing that came out of it was his longtime friend Rey Mysterio vowing to win the World Heavyweight Championship in honor of his fallen comrade.
Mysterio vowed to win the Royal Rumble Match in 2006 and went on to do it and managed to set a longevity record in the process by lasting 62:12 en route to the victory.
Randy Orton then goaded him into putting his title shot on the line at No Way Out in February and then defeated him for it, but the booking was changed and a triple threat match pitting Orton and Mysterio against World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle was booked for WrestleMania 22.
The three Superstars packed in as much fun and energy as they could, but for some reason the WWE only allotted just over nine minutes for the match, so they never got the chance to tell as good of a story as they should have.
Mysterio ended up winning the title after hitting a 619 and West Coast Pop on Orton to pin him and finally win the big one.
The moment was nice considering what had happened to Guerrero and because Mysterio worked hard to overcome adversity due to his size by winning the biggest match of his career.
It should have been a greater moment though as the WWE rushed the match, which was also unfortunate due to it being Angle's final WrestleMania appearance.
2) Cena 'Nuff: John Cena remains to this day one of the most polarizing figures to ever grace a WWE ring, but the section of fans that turned on him started coming out in droves at WrestleMania 22.
Cena had a great following as a midcarder and most people were excited when he defeated JBL for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21.
What a difference a year makes.
As WrestleMania 22 approached, people began to grow tired of Cena and the WWE shoving him down the throats of its fans, not unlike the reactions to Roman Reigns heading into WrestleMania 31.
The red-hot crowd in Illinois let Cena know how they were feeling that night, booing him mercilessly throughout his match with Triple H for the WWE Championship, which became a preview of the reactions the "Cenation" leader would garner for the rest of his career.
The match itself was great with both men fighting to gain the upper-hand while the advantage in the contest went back and forth between the two of them.
In the end, Triple H, who kicked out of an F-U, went to hit Cena with another Pedigree, but he was able to reverse it into the second STFU of the match and after holding out to add drama, "The Game" tapped out and Cena retained the title.
Another notable facet of the match is John Cena's entrance as he came out flanked by "Gangsters" one of which was a pre-WWE CM Punk making a cameo.
1) Mick Foley, Hardcore Legend: Edge and Mick Foley were at each other's throats in 2006, leading to the two signing on for a hardcore match at WrestleMania 22.
Despite being in the main event at WrestleMania 2000 and building up a resume as a Hardcore legend, Foley was still in search of his defining WrestleMania moment while Edge was more than happy to beat him up and down the All-State Arena with a plethora of weapons.
The two engaged in a highly entertaining bout that saw the use of many weapons, including a barbed wire bat and thumbtacks. The two Superstars would save the best spot for last to conclude the barbaric blood bath.
The end of the match saw Edge's valet Lita set fire to a table - which was previously set up by Foley - setting the stage for a jaw-dropping moment.
Foley, who was dazed and confused while standing on the apron, was speared by Edge through the flaming table, getting his "Holy S--t" WrestleMania moment while the Rated "R" Superstar, who was also dreary from the spot, barely had enough energy to cover him for the three count.
The crowd exploded after the spot, and Edge sold it amazingly by convulsing after winning the match, tacks hanging out of his back.
Following the match, Foley lay bloody, battered and beaten, but there was no mistake about it: He received his WrestleMania Moment.
Looking Ahead: After returning to an arena format at WrestleMania 22, the WWE would go back to a huge stadium environment for WrestleMania 23, which emanated from Detroit in 2007. On Saturday, will take a look at WrestleMania 23, All Grown Up.
Rank-O-Mania: As we go through each year, we will rank each WrestleMania as it comes along. WrestleMania 22 had some highs (Triple H-Cena, MITB II, Edge-Foley, McMahon-Michaels) -- including an amazing Women's Championship match between Trish Stratus and Mickie James -- but it also had some lows (Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell, Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle and Undertaker vs. Mark Henry). It is a middle of the pack edition of the show and finds itself between XX and VII in 10th place.
1) WrestleMania X-7
2) WrestleMania XIX
3) WrestleMania X
4) WrestleMania VI
5) WrestleMania III
6) WrestleMania 21
7) WrestleMania XIV
8) WrestleMania VIII
9) WrestleMania XX
10) WrestleMania 22
11) WrestleMania VII
12) WrestleMania X-8
13) WrestleMania V
14) WrestleMania XV
15) WrestleMania 2000
16) WrestleMania XII
17) WrestleMania IV
18) WrestleMania 13
19) WrestleMania I
21) WrestleMania XI
20) WrestleMania IX
22) WrestleMania 2
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.