WrestleMania 22

WrestleMania 22
WrestleMania 22
	File:WM22logo.jpg
Promotion	World Wrestling Entertainment
Date	April 2, 2006
City	Chicago, Illinois
Venue	Allstate Arena
Attendance	17,159
Buy rate	930,000 buys:; 560,000 domestic,; 370,000 international
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous; No Way Out 2006	Next →; Backlash 2006

WrestleMania 22 was the twenty-second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It took place on April 2, 2006 at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago, Illinois suburb of Rosemont. The event was the third WrestleMania to take place in the Chicago metropolitan area (following WrestleMania 2, and WrestleMania 13). The event grossed $2.5 million USD in ticket sales at the Allstate Arena, making it the highest grossing one-day event in the arena’s history. WWE claimed that tickets for the event sold out in less than two minutes. More than 17,155 people from 16 countries and 43 states attended, with millions more watching in more than 90 countries.

WrestleMania 22 was a joint-promotion PPV event, featuring wrestlers from both the RAW and SmackDown! brands. The tagline for WrestleMania 22 was Big Time. The theme song for the event was "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel. Secondary themes included "I Dare You" by Shinedown, "Save Me Sorrow" by Bullets and Octane, and "Baby Hates Me" by Danko Jones.

The commentators for the RAW brand were Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. The SmackDown! commentators were Michael Cole and Tazz. The Spanish commentators were Carlos Cabrera and Hugo Savinovich. Joey Styles provided commentary for the Hardcore match between Mick Foley and Edge. Lilian Garcia did the ring annoucing for the RAW bouts and Tony Chimel did the same for the SmackDown! matches.

Results

Kane and The Big Show defeated Carlito and Chris Masters to retain the World Tag Team Championship(6:41)
- Kane pinned Carlito after a chokeslam.
Rob Van Dam defeated Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, Finlay, Matt Hardy and Bobby Lashley in a Money in the Bank ladder match (12:21)
- Van Dam won by climbing a ladder and taking possession of the briefcase hanging above the ring.
Howard Finkel introduced the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2006:
- "Mean" Gene Okerlund, "Sensational" Sherri, Tony Atlas, Verne Gagne, William "The Refrigerator" Perry and The Blackjacks. The seventh 2006 inductee to the Hall of Fame, Bret Hart, did not attend the event. The eighth inductee, the late Eddie Guerrero, was represented by his wife Vickie, who was escorted out to the stage by Guerrero's nephew Chavo Guerrero.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (w/Jillian Hall) defeated Chris Benoit to win the WWE United States Championship (9:44)
- Layfield pinned Benoit after flipping him over during a Crossface and holding onto the middle rope.

Edge (w/Lita) defeated Mick Foley in a Hardcore match(14:37)
- Edge pinned Foley after a Spear off the apron and through a flaming table on the outside.
The Boogeyman defeated Booker T and Sharmell in a Handicap match (3:52)
- Boogeyman pinned Booker after a chokebomb.
Mickie James defeated Trish Stratus to win the WWE Women's Championship (8:48)
- James pinned Stratus after a Mick Kick.
The Undertaker defeated Mark Henry in a Casket match (9:26)
- Undertaker rolled Henry into the casket after hitting him with the Tombstone piledriver.
Shawn Michaels defeated Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match (18:28)
- Michaels pinned Vince after the Sweet Chin Music.
- During the match, both the Spirit Squad and Shane McMahon interfered on McMahon's behalf.

Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton and Kurt Angle (c) in a Triple Threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship (9:18)
- Mysterio pinned Orton after a 619 and a West Coast Pop.
- Mysterio's entrance music was performed live by P.O.D.
Torrie Wilson defeated Candice Michelle in a Playboy pillow fight (3:54)
- Wilson pinned Michelle with a roll-up.
John Cena defeated Triple H to retain the WWE Championship (22:02)
- Cena forced Triple H to submit with the STF-U.

This WrestleMania, along with the preceding two, would all take place from the three locations that hosted WrestleMania 2, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles (This one from Chicago, WrestleMania XX from New York, and WrestleMania 21 from Los Angeles}.
WrestleMania 22 had two alternate logos released before the third and final logo was decided. The first [1] and second [2] were similar to that of WrestleMania 21 and were released in promotional vidoes and advertisements. The third and final logo released is the first since WrestleMania XV to make use of the classic font from the first fifteen WrestleMania events.