WrestleMania 23
| WrestleMania 23 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:WrestleMania 23huge.jpg | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | RAW SmackDown! ECW | ||
| Date | April 1, 2007 | ||
| City | Detroit, Michigan | ||
| Venue | Ford Field | ||
| Attendance | 80,103 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The event was the first WrestleMania at Ford Field, but the second to take place in the Detroit metropolitan area (following WrestleMania III, where a record-setting 93,173 fans filled the Pontiac Silverdome in 1987).
Tickets for the event went on sale on November 11, 2006. The all-time attendance record at Ford Field of 80,103 consisted of people from 24 countries, all 50 states and 9 Canadian provinces, pumped an estimated US$25 million into the local economy, and made this event the highest grossing one-day live event in WWE history, grossing more than $5.38 million in ticket sales. [1] This made WrestleMania 23 the highest-grossing pay-per-view in WWE history as well as the highest-grossing event in professional wrestling history in North America, breaking the previous record of $3.9 million held at WrestleMania X8.[2]
WrestleMania 23 was a joint-promotion pay-per-view event, featuring performers from the RAW, SmackDown!, and ECW brands. The tagline for WrestleMania 23 was All Grown Up. The theme song for the event was "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Saliva. The secondary theme song was "The Memory Will Never Die" by Default.
Results
- Dark match: Ric Flair and Carlito defeated Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero in a Tag Team Lumberjack match
- Carlito pinned Guerrero after a Back Cracker.
- Lumberjacks: Viscera,Shad Gaspard, JTG, Chris Masters, Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, Robbie McAllister, Rory McAllister, Super Crazy, Val Venis, Johnny Nitro, Jim Duggan, Eugene, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Kenny Dykstra from RAW. Daivari, Shannon Moore, Sylvain Grenier, Deuce, Domino, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, The Miz, Vito, Scotty 2 Hotty, Jimmy Wang Yang, Jamie Noble and Funaki from SmackDown. Balls Mahoney, Little Guido Maritato and Snitsky from ECW.
- Mr. Kennedy defeated Edge, CM Punk, King Booker (w/Queen Sharmell), Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Randy Orton in a Money in the Bank ladder match (19:10)
- Kennedy grabbed the briefcase to win.
- The Great Khali defeated Kane (5:31)
- Khali pinned Kane after a Chokebomb.
- Chris Benoit defeated Montel Vontavious Porter to retain the WWE United States Championship (9:19)
- Benoit pinned MVP after a Diving Headbutt.
- Howard Finkel introduced the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2007:
- Jim Ross, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Nick Bockwinkel, Mr. Fuji, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). The Sheik was represented by his widow Joyce Farhat, and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig was represented by his widow Leonice and his father Larry Hennig.
- The Undertaker defeated Batista to win the World Heavyweight Championship (15:47)
- Undertaker pinned Batista after a Tombstone Piledriver.
- The Undertaker came out with druids surrounding him.
- The ECW Originals (Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, The Sandman and Rob Van Dam) defeated The New Breed (Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn) (w/Ariel) (6:26)
- Van Dam pinned Striker after a Five-Star Frog Splash.
- Bobby Lashley (w/Donald Trump and Tara Conner) defeated Umaga (w/Vince McMahon and Armando Alejandro Estrada) (w/Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee) in a Hair vs. Hair match (14:00)
- Lashley pinned Umaga after a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin and a Spear from Lashley.
- During this Battle of the Billionaires, Shane McMahon interfered on Umaga's behalf wearing referee attire.
- After the match, Trump and Lashley shaved Vince bald followed by Austin giving Trump a Stunner.
- Melina defeated Ashley Massaro in a Lumberjill match to retain the WWE Women's Championship (3:14)
- Melina pinned Ashley with a Bridge Pin.
- After the match, all of the lumberjills got in a catfight.
- Lumberjills: Victoria, Layla, Jillian Hall, Candice Michelle, Kelly Kelly, Trinity, Torrie Wilson, Brooke Adams, Kristal Marshall, Michelle McCool, Maria and Mickie James.
- John Cena defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship (28:21)
- Cena forced Michaels to submit with the STFU.
- In his entrance, Cena drove a black Ford Mustang sports car down to the ring.
Other on-screen talent
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Notes
- Aretha Franklin performed "America the Beautiful" at the start of the event, reprising her role from twenty years earlier at WrestleMania III.
- Ron Simmons, Slick, The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Hart, Irwin R. Schyster, Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter, Howard Finkel, Gene Okerlund, Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco appeared backstage dancing with Eugene, Cryme Tyme and Extreme Exposé (Kelly Kelly, Brooke Adams and Layla El).
- Celebrity guests in attendance for WrestleMania 23 included: Franklin, Trump and Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner (for the Hair vs. Hair match), Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith, Miss USA 2000 Lynnette Cole, Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera, members of the Detroit Tigers, Thomas Hearns, and Detroit Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hašek.
- Cena is the second man in history to retain the WWE Championship at back-to-back WrestleManias. Hulk Hogan was the first, retaining the Championship at Wrestlemania 2 and III.
File:Cena23.jpg John Cena after retaining the WWE Championship - This was the second year in a row that Cena was in the WrestleMania main event, and both times he won with the STFU. It is also the second year in a row that the World Heavyweight Championship has changed hands, but not the WWE Championship.
- This was the fourth year in a row that the World Heavyweight Championship has changed hands.
- This is the fifth consecutive WrestleMania without an Intercontinental Championship match, fourth with the championship being active.
- This was the first WrestleMania to use all white ring ropes.
References
- ^ "WrestleMania Blows Away Attendance Record At Ford Fields". Retrieved April 2.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "WrestleMania X8 Sets Revenue, Attendance Records". Retrieved January 16.
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