WrestleMania 21

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WrestleMania 21
SmackDown!
DateApril 3, 2005 (2005-04-03)
CityLos Angeles, California
VenueStaples Center
Attendance20,193[1]
Buy rate1,090,000[2]
Tagline(s)WrestleMania Goes Hollywood
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WrestleMania 21 (marketed as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood) was the 21st annual

event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions. The event took place on April 3, 2005, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
.

The main event of the show, which was the main match from the Raw brand, saw Batista challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Batista won by pinfall after executing a Batista Bomb. The main match on the SmackDown! brand, which was the event's penultimate match, saw John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) defend the WWE Championship against John Cena, which Cena won by pinfall after performing an FU marking Cena's first world title reign of his world record sixteen.

Another primary match was an inter-promotional match between The Undertaker and Randy Orton, which Undertaker won by pinfall after performing a Tombstone Piledriver. The featured matches on the undercard were Kurt Angle versus Shawn Michaels and the first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match. The event also featured the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin who then started his part-time appearances with WWE and also the final WrestleMania event that Eddie Guerrero competed in, going against his tag team partner Rey Mysterio. Guerrero succumbed to heart failure in November that same year.

WrestleMania 21 was the first WrestleMania held at Staples Center, but the fifth to take place in the

grossed more than $7.1 million in ticket sales, making it the highest grossing WWE event ever at Staples Center. In addition to those in attendance, the event was seen by millions of fans in more than 190 countries.[5]

Production

Background

In line with the event's location and tagline, WrestleMania 21 was promoted on television with a series of

movie trailers with WWE talent playing the starring roles from famous movies.[9]

The parody movie trailers included:

Celebrity guests in attendance for WrestleMania 21 included

Storylines

Triple H as World Heavyweight Champion.

At

"thumbs up", but turned it into a "thumbs down" (alluding to the way Randy Orton was kicked out of Evolution after becoming World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam 2004) before attacking the pair. This led to Batista's departure from the stable.[12]

At

WWE Tag Team Champions, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio defeated JBL and the Basham Brothers, but Cena had to stop himself from attacking JBL after the bell had rung.[17] On the March 24 edition of SmackDown!, Long clarified that if JBL physically provoked Cena, then Cena could retaliate.[18] Cena then attempted to provoke JBL, by vandalizing his limousine, cutting off his tie, pouring water into his hat and spray painting "FU" on his shirt.[18] On the last SmackDown! before WrestleMania, however, JBL interrupted Cena's match against Carlito and had Cena arrested for vandalism. Once Cena was handcuffed, JBL nailed him with a low blow and ended the show by mocking Cena with his signature "you can't see me" taunt.[19]

At the Royal Rumble, two months before WrestleMania,

broken anchor] Shawn Michaels after Michaels had eliminated him from the Royal Rumble match.[10][20] The next month at No Way Out, Angle lost a number one contenders match to John Cena, losing a spot in the SmackDown! main event at WrestleMania.[21][22] The next night on Raw, Michaels told SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long to inform Angle that he had challenged him to a match at WrestleMania.[23][24] On the February 28 edition of Raw, after Michaels defeated Edge in a Street Fight, Angle attacked Michaels and accepted his challenge.[25][26] On the next edition of SmackDown!, Michaels ambushed Angle in the ring, and the two of them brawled, until security broke it up.[15] Angle claimed that he was better than Michaels, and said he would prove it by achieving everything that Michaels had, but doing it faster.[16] He then won a ladder match, mocking Michaels' match from WrestleMania X.[16] He then challenged Marty Jannetty, Michaels former tag team partner to a match.[16] He won after Jannetty tapped out.[17] Angle also persuaded Michaels' former manager, Sensational Sherri to do a spoof of Michaels' theme song, "Sexy Boy", calling his version "Sexy Kurt".[18] Michaels, however, interrupted and played a video highlighting all his accomplishments.[18] When Sherri got emotional from watching the video, Angle put her in the Ankle Lock.[18] Angle also interfered in Michaels' match against Muhammad Hassan on the last edition of Raw before the pay-per-view, which resulted in Michaels defeating Hassan by disqualification.[27]

Randy Orton, who faced off against The Undertaker.

The other interpromotional match on the card was between

slapped the Undertaker. Orton fled the ring after the Undertaker began to fill the arena with smoke, and didn't sign the contract.[17][35][36] The next week on Raw, Orton claimed that his confidence was at an all-time high, despite what happened on SmackDown! the week before. Shortly thereafter, Orton turned heel and furthered his Legend Killer gimmick by performing an RKO on Stacy Keibler, who was his girlfriend at the time.[37][38] Orton taunted the Undertaker for the next couple weeks,[27][39] but the Undertaker responded with taunts of his own, as he attacked other superstars.[18] On the final SmackDown! before WrestleMania, Orton's father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, begged the Undertaker to have mercy on Orton.[19] It ultimately proved to be a set-up, however, as Orton attacked the Undertaker and performed an RKO on him just to show an example of what could happen at WrestleMania when he faces the Undertaker.[19]

Another match on the card was the

General Manager, Eric Bischoff, booked the match at WrestleMania 21 soon after.[29][40] According to Jericho, the first idea was a submission match between Edge, Jericho and Benoit and a ladder match between the other wrestlers.[41]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English commentators Jim Ross (Raw)
Jerry Lawler (Raw)
Michael Cole (SmackDown!)
Tazz
(SmackDown!)
Spanish commentators Carlos Cabrera
Hugo Savinovich
Ring announcers Tony Chimel (SmackDown!)
Howard Finkel (Raw)
Referees Nick Patrick (SmackDown!)
Jim Korderas
(SmackDown!)
Brian Hebner
(SmackDown!)
Chad Patton (Raw)
Earl Hebner (Raw)
Mike Chioda (Raw)
Jack Doan (Raw)

Pre-show

Before the event went live on pay-per-view, a

Lilian Garcia performed "America the Beautiful" at the beginning of the event.[42]

Preliminary matches

The first televised match was between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. At the beginning of the match, Mysterio jumped over the top rope, knocking Guerrero down. Mysterio also attempted another aerial attack but was countered by Guerrero into a Powerbomb. Guerrero performed the Three Amigos on Mysterio and attempted a Frog splash but was unsuccessful. Following a Hurricanrana on Guerrero, Mysterio pinned Guerrero to win. After the match, both men shook hands in the ring.[1][42]

John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and Orlando Jordan were then shown backstage discussing JBL's match against John Cena. Triple H and Ric Flair walked by as Triple H mocked JBL. JBL retaliated by advising Triple H to worry about losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Batista and assured him that Cena would be unsuccessful at defeating JBL for the WWE Championship. Triple H responded that only the end of the night would reveal who would still be champion.[1][42]

The match that followed was the first

steel chair. Edge then climbed the ladder and successfully retrieved the briefcase to win the match.[1][42]

In an interlude, Eugene came down to the ring and shared his excitement about being at his first WrestleMania with the crowd in attendance. While attempting to recall his favorite WrestleMania moments, Muhammad Hassan and Daivari interrupted him, with Hassan expressing his outrage for not being included in a match for the event. Hassan concluded that since he wasn't scheduled to compete at the event and was therefore denied the opportunity to experience his own WrestleMania "moment", he would have to create a "moment" of his own. Following this remark, Hassan and Daivari began to assault Eugene. With Eugene placed into a Camel clutch while Daivari verbally attacked him, Hulk Hogan came down to the ring, knocking Hassan and Daivari out of the ring. Hogan celebrated by posing in the ring for the crowd.[1][42]

The third match featured The Undertaker and Randy Orton. Bob Orton Jr., Randy's father, interfered and attacked Undertaker with his arm cast, resulting in Orton gaining control of the match. Undertaker attempted to chokeslam Orton, but Orton countered the maneuver with an RKO for a near-fall. Orton then attempted a Tombstone piledriver on Undertaker but it was reversed by Undertaker into a Tombstone of his own to win the match and continued his undefeated streak at WrestleMania with a 13–0 record.[1][42]

The next match was for the WWE Women's Championship, an encounter between Trish Stratus and Christy Hemme with Lita at ringside. Stratus controlled most of the match though Hemme attempted many pinning maneuvers that were unsuccessful. Hemme then executed a Twist of Fate on Stratus for a near-fall. After a roll-up attempt by both Stratus and Hemme, Stratus performed a Chick kick to win the match and retain the WWE Women's Championship.[1][42]

The fifth match was the encounter of Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. The beginning of the match saw back-and-forth action between the two. Mid-way in the match, Michaels hit Angle with a low blow, after he countered a suplex from Angle. Following the low blow, which was not seen by the referee, Michaels leapfrogged from the ring and laid out Angle on a broadcast table. Angle would then gain control of the match, as he would force Michaels to submit to the Ankle Lock to win the match. After the match, Shawn Michaels was given a standing ovation from the audience.[1][42]

Piper's Pit until Carlito interrupted and insulted them. Carlito received a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin and Piper threw him out of the ring. Both ended the segment celebrating with beer until Austin gave Piper a Stone Cold Stunner.[42]

The next match was between Akebono and Big Show in a Sumo match. The match was a little over a minute and Akebono won the match after he threw Big Show out of the ring.[1][42]

The next match was

Clothesline from Hell attempt and executing an FU to win the title.[1][42][43]

Main event

The main event was

Batista. Triple H entered to "The Game" performed live by Motörhead.[42] The action was back and forth, with neither man in control for very long periods. While the referee was down, Triple H attacked Batista with a low blow and the title belt for a near fall. In the climax, Batista would pin Triple H after a Batista Bomb to win the match and title.[42][43]

Reception

WrestleMania 21 received universally positive reviews from critics[

Canadian Online Explorer's professional wrestling section noted that "The changing of the guard that many people expected came with a whimper instead of a bang. In a total reversal from last year's show – where a largely mundane card was saved by the emotional title victories of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero – this year's elevation of rising stars John Cena and Dave Batista had no such drama. Unable to live up to the high standards set by the Undertaker-Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels-Kurt Angle bouts, the "main events" offered the worst kind of anticlimax and would have been right at home buried in the middle of the card." He rated the entire event 7 out of 10 stars, which has a higher rating than the previous year's event. The main event between Batista and Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship was rated 6 out of 10 stars, the match between John "Bradshaw" Layfield and John Cena was rated 5 out of 10 stars, the match between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels received the highest rating of 9 out of 10 stars, the match between The Undertaker and Randy Orton and The Money in the Bank ladder match were rated 8 out of 10 stars.[44] Robert Leighty Jr of 411mania gave the event an overall score of 7.0 out of 10.0 noted that "If the two Title matches would have delivered this would have gone down as one of the greatest WrestleMania's ever, but they didn't and that left a flat ending to the show. Everything up to Shawn/Angle is fantastic and things kind of close with a whimper. Still, this is a historic show as it cemented the rise of Batista/Cena/Orton as Main Event players. It also has two great matches with Shawn/Angle and Money in the Bank. Definitely a good WrestleMania, but it could have been much more."[45] J.D. Dunn of 411mania response towards WrestleMania 21 was also positive. He stated that "this was on its way to being every bit as good as last year's Mania" but like most of the other critics who thought the main events were disappointing also said that "then it hit a wall in the last 90 minutes." He later stated that "If this were a regular PPV with the Michaels vs. Angle match being the main event, this would be one of the greatest PPV's ever. Unfortunately, it drags on after that and limps to a finish." Although he praised the booking of the event saying that, "they made all the right moves booking-wise, so while the matches weren't great, they still have a certain historic value."[46]

The match between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels would go on to win the 2005 Pro Wrestling Illustrated match of the year award.[47] In 2019 WWE named it the fifth best WrestleMania match of all time.[48] Dave Meltzer gave the match 4 and 3/4 stars out of 5.[49] Angle himself has called it "the greatest match of all time."[50]

The Sumo match between the Big Show and Akebono was universally panned with Dave Meltzer giving it no stars, and it has frequently topped lists for worst WrestleMania matches and worst matches in overall.[51] [52][53] Reflecting on the match in 2018, Big Show said that he believed it was the "most embarrassing moment in wrestling."[54]

For the Staples Center's 10th anniversary in 2009, WrestleMania 21 was ranked number 7 on the list of greatest moments in the venue's history as voted by fans.[55][56]

Aftermath

Batista and Triple H's feud would continue to

No Holds Barred match
with Triple H's career on the line, which also was's Batista's last match as an in ring competitor as he would retire shortly after.

John Cena and JBL continued to feud until

"I Quit" match for the WWE Championship, which Cena won. Shortly after, Cena was drafted to Raw, ending their feud and taking the title with him.[59]

Edge would hold on to his Money in the Bank briefcase until the following year at New Year's Revolution, where he cashed in the briefcase on John Cena after Cena just competed in an Elimination Chamber match, to retain his WWE Championship.

Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle would continue their feud and face off again at Vengeance with Michaels picking up the win.

Results

No.Results
Sumo match
1:00
8John Cena defeated John Bradshaw Layfield (c)Singles match for the WWE Championship11:25
9Batista defeated Triple H (c) (with Ric Flair)Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship21:33
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
P – the match was broadcast on the pre-show

WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament

The tournament to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 21 was held between February 1 and February 20, 2005. At WrestleMania 21, John Cena defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield to become the new champion. The tournament brackets were:

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
John Cena Pin
Orlando Jordan
John Cena Pin
Booker T
Eddie Guerrero
Booker T Pin
John Cena Pin
Kurt Angle 19:21
The Undertaker DCO
René Duprée DCO
---
Kurt Angle
Rey Mysterio
Kurt Angle Sub

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External links