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 $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 official 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 (5:13)
- 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 and Kenny Dykstra from RAW. Daivari, Shannon Moore, Sylvain Grenier, Deuce, Domino, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, The Miz, Vito, Scotty 2 Hotty, William Regal, Dave Taylor, Jimmy Wang Yang, Jamie Noble and Funaki from SmackDown!. Balls Mahoney, Little Guido Maritato, Hardcore Holly 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 (19:05)
- Kennedy won by climbing a ladder and grabbing the briefcase hanging above the ring.
- Jeff Hardy performed a leg drop off a 20 foot ladder in the ring through Edge on a ladder outside of the ring. Both men were removed from the match on stretchers.
- The Great Khali defeated Kane (5:31)
- Khali pinned Kane after a Choke drop.
- Chris Benoit defeated Montel Vontavious Porter to retain the WWE United States Championship (9:19)
- Benoit pinned MVP after a Diving Headbutt.
- MVP came out accompanied by a squad of cheerleaders.
- 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.
- Undertaker came out surrounded by "druids".
- 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) (6:25)
- Van Dam pinned Striker after a Five-Star Frog Splash.
- Bobby Lashley (w/Donald Trump) defeated Umaga (w/Vince McMahon and Armando Alejandro Estrada) (w/Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee) in a Hair vs. Hair match (13:04)
File:Trump at WrestleMania 23.jpg Donald Trump and Bobby Lashley shave Vince McMahon's head - 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 (3:13)
- Melina pinned Ashley with a Bridge Pin.
- After the match, the lumberjills got into 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 (28:20)
- Cena forced Michaels to submit with the STFU.
- Cena entered the stadium in a Shelby GT-H Mustang.
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.
- 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 Teen USA 2006 Katie Blair, Miss Universe 2006 Zuleyka Rivera, members of the Detroit Tigers, Thomas Hearns, and Detroit Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hašek.
- This was the fourth consecutive WrestleMania in which the winner of the Royal Rumble challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship and won.
- The Undertaker's win made him the only wrestler to have won both the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship at a WrestleMania.
- This was the fifth consecutive WrestleMania without an Intercontinental Championship match.
References
- ^ "WrestleMania Blows Away Attendance Record At Ford Fields". Retrieved 2007-04-02.
- ^ "WrestleMania X8 Sets Revenue, Attendance Records". Retrieved January 16.
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