WrestleMania
The showcase from MSG to stadiums. WrestleMania began at Madison Square Garden in 1985 and became a two-night stadium festival. Its history, records and most famous moments.
WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0
A big gamble in 1985
When Vince McMahon launched WrestleMania in 1985, the WWF was in the middle of an expensive national expansion. The first show at Madison Square Garden mixed wrestling with celebrities such as Mr. T, Muhammad Ali as a guest referee and singer Cyndi Lauper, and it was shown on closed-circuit TV in cinemas and arenas around the US. It worked, and WrestleMania became the company's yearly centrepiece.
Stadium era
WrestleMania III in 1987 moved to the Pontiac Silverdome near Detroit, with Hulk Hogan against Andre the Giant. Since then the show has filled football stadiums in many cities, and WrestleMania 32 at AT&T Stadium in Texas in 2016 announced a crowd of 101,763, the largest in company history.
In 2020, during the pandemic, WrestleMania 36 was held without fans over two nights. The two-night format stayed when crowds returned, making the event a full weekend with fan festivals and other shows around it.
Moments that define it
Fans argue endlessly about the best WrestleMania matches. Common picks include Savage vs Steamboat at III, Bret Hart vs Steve Austin at 13, The Rock vs Austin at X-Seven, Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker at 25 and Cody Rhodes beating Roman Reigns at XL. Moments like The Undertaker's streak ending at XXX and Daniel Bryan's title win the same night became cultural events beyond wrestling.
Women main-evented WrestleMania for the first time at WrestleMania 35 in 2019, when Becky Lynch beat Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.
How to watch
WrestleMania is streamed live on WWE's official platforms, which change by country. In the US, WWE's premium events moved from Peacock to ESPN's streaming service in late 2025, and in many other countries they stream on Netflix. Check WWE.com for the date, host city and how to watch where you live.
The week around WrestleMania has also turned into a festival for the wider wrestling world. Independent promotions run dozens of shows in the host city, fan conventions take place nearby and the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is usually held the same weekend. For many fans, travelling to a WrestleMania is a once in a lifetime trip, and host cities compete to attract it because of the visitors it brings.
- WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium: Troutfarm27, CC BY-SA 4.0
Text written by Entertainment Wrestling World.
