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Results:
*Dark Match: Viscera won a battle royal, then kissed Lilian Garcia at ringside. The final three competitors were Road Warrior Animal (who received a lot of support from the Chicago crowd, despite being a heel), Gene Snitsky and Viscera. Snitsky and Viscera eliminated Animal, then Viscera dodged a running kick from Snitsky, who went over the top rope, to end the match.
*WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Big Show defeated Carlito & Chris Masters when Kane pinned Carlito with a chokeslam.
*Rob Van Dam won the Money In The Bank Match, outlasting Ric Flair, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley and Finlay. Rob Van Dam would cash in the briefcase at One Night Stand to win the WWE Title.
*JBL defeated Chris Benoit to win the United States Title when he reversed a Crippler Crossface into a cradle and hooked the ropes for leverage.
*Edge defeated Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match by pinning him on the floor after spearing Foley off the apron and through a flaming table at ringside.
*Boogeyman defeated Booker T & Sharmell with a double handed chokeslam on Booker.
*Mickie James defeated Trish Stratus to win the Women's Title with a Chick Kick.
*The Undertaker defeated Mark Henry with a tombstone in a Casket Match.
*Shawn Michaels defeated Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match with a superkick following an elbowdrop off a ladder that put Vince through a table while he was in a garbage can. Prior to the elbow, Michaels delivered a DX "crotch chop".
*Rey Mysterio defeated Kurt Angle and Randy Orton to win the World Title in a Triple Threat match when he pinned Orton after a West Coast Pop. Angle, the defending champion, wasn't pinned in the match.
*Torrie Wilson defeated Candice Michelle in a "Playboy Pillow Fight" with a cradle.
*WWE Champion John Cena defeated Triple H with the STFU. The match became infamous for over-the-top ring entrances, as Cena entered the ring dressed as an old school gangster, while Triple H was dressed like a Viking warrior.
CELEBRITIES: Michelle Williams sang America the Beautiful....William Perry, who competed in the same venue as part of the NFL-WWF Battle Royal, was introduced as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2002.
WWE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, "Sensational" Sherri Martel, Tony Atlas, Verne Gagne, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza) were all inducted the night before Wrestlemania 22. Hart gave a long excellent speech where he asked fans not to worry for him and told them he was doing OK. He talked for a long time about his father Stu, his career, his late brother Owen and many more personalities, noting he lived an amazing life. Steve Austin inducted Hart and at the end of the ceremony, they both publicly blew off Hulk Hogan, who was there to induct Okerlund. Bobby Heenan inducted the Blackjacks. Ted DiBiase interviewed a raucous Martel, who was beyond excited to be inducted and went back and forth with a heckler in a funny moment. Greg Gagne inducted his father Verne. S.D. Jones inducted his long-time partner Tony Atlas. Perry's induction was a last second addition (he was even added to the program after it was published), who's induction seemed lost on most of the crowd. It was easily Bret's night, but the most emotional moment came from Chavo Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio all posthumously inducting the late Eddie Guerrero, who had died the previous November.
NOTES: Despite being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Bret Hart declined to appear at Wrestlemania and went home, the first living Hall of Fame honoree to do so....Due to Bret's induction, the Hall of Fame was actually a hotter ticket than Mania, selling out instantly in a smaller theater....CM Punk technically made his Wrestlemania debut, appearing as one of the Gangsters with Cena....Hart had demanded Shawn Michaels not attend the Hall of Fame, but Michaels did quietly attend. He was seated nowhere near the stage. Years later, Michaels talked of Hart possibly inducting him, which would be wild given their history....There was some sadness backstage as Victor Quinones, who had worked for the company off and on for some time before settling into running IWA Puerto Rico, had passed away earlier that day....The show would prove to be Angle's final Wrestlemania before departing the company....Mysterio was booked to lose in non-title matches for most of his title run, a completely weak reign.
Buck: I can honestly say I don't remember a damn thing about the opening tag team match. ... Rob Van Dam winning Money In The Bank was a legitimate surprise to me, as I figured Flair or Lashley would get the win. Again, MITB was an incredible bout, with Shelton Benjamin in particular shining in the ring. ... JBL vs. Chris Benoit was okay, and once again, JBL seemed to have the recipe for a great Wrestlemania match, but it just didn't happen. ... Edge vs. Mick Foley was a strong match, certainly Foley's best post-retirement effort, but I remember at the time feeling that Edge had been screwed out of his rightful spot in a main event match. ... Why did they ever push Boogeyman? ... Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus was a good match, and a big step up from the previous year with Trish-Hemme. ... Undertaker's dive on Mark Henry was awesome, and showed Taker could make a predictable match fun ... Say what you will about Vince McMahon, but he will put his body on the line for your enjoyment. The match with Shawn Michaels was great, and the big moment of Shawn giving Vince a DX crotch chop before dripping the elbow through the table was awesome. ... Rey Mysterio's crowning career moment sucked. Plain and simple. Having Mysterio pin Orton, and not defending champion Angle, was a sign of how badly WWE was going to botch his title reign. Some say he still hasn't recovered from it. ... Torrie and Candice in a pillow fight was the fluff match of the night, but at least it was kept separate from the serious women's match. ... John Cena vs. Triple H featured the absolutely dumbest ring entrances of all time. Good bout, but all I can think of is Triple H and Cena in those dumb outfits.
Mike: If you want to talk dumb entrances, how about Rey Mysterio's goofy Eagle's headdress? Rey's title win was a joke. It was meant to be a tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero but was done in a completely fluke, lame matter. By the time Vickie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero came onto the stage to celebrate with Rey, people had already stopped caring...Triple H vs. Cena may have been the best match of Cena's career. I will never forget the back and forth intensity of the crowd who just hated Cena and couldn't believe when he won the match. It was a really awesome, special moment....Oh lesbian stalker Mickie James, how I miss thee....Undertaker's match with Henry was a throwback to the early Taker babyface run where he was in with a monster and the match was really dependent on the supernatural come back from anything Taker...I believe this match was the first ever meeting in the ring between Flair and Finlay, which I was jazzed to see live....I think everyone knew where RVD would be cashing in the second he won the Money in the Bank....Benoit vs. JBL sucked....Foley vs. Edge was way better than I originally remembered it. That spear through the burning table was absolutely insane....Vince McMahon giving Shawn the finger as he was stretchered out cracked me up.
More than17,155 people from 16 countries and 43 states attended WWE’s annual live event and pay-per-view pop culture extravaganza, with millions more watching in more than 90 countries.
The event also was broadcast live to U.S. troops around the world by the Armed Forces Television Network.
“Beyond any doubt, WrestleMania 22 was a big time event in every sense of the word,†said Kurt Schneider, Executive Vice President, Marketing. “The house was rockin’, and the Allstate Arena was the perfect host. Our fans from around the world who attended were passionate, engaged and entertained beyond belief. I would like to thank our loyal fans in Chicago, the United States, and from around the world for making WrestleMania 22 such a tremendous success.â€
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
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