WrestleMania

WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced annually between mid-March to early April by WWE, an American professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. WWE first produced the event in 1985 and has since produced 31 editions, with the thirty-second to be held in Arlington, Texas in April 2016. WrestleMania, WWE's flagship event, is the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. It contributes to the worldwide commercial success of WWE through media, merchandise, and shows. WrestleMania was conceptualized by WWE owner Vince McMahon and long time WWE ring announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel is credited with devising the name "WrestleMania" in 1984.

WrestleMania's widespread success helped transform the professional wrestling sport. The event has facilitated the rise to stardom of several top WWE wrestlers, including Shawn Michaels, nicknamed "Mr. WrestleMania" for a series of high-profile matches at the event, and The Undertaker, who was undefeated at the event from 1991 until 2014. Celebrities such as Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Floyd Mayweather, Pete Rose, Burt Reynolds, Mickey Rourke, Snoop Dogg, Sean Combs, Kid Rock, Fred Durst, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronda Rousey, Kid Ink, and others have participated or made special appearances within the events.

WrestleMania 2

WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (although the first WrestleMania was only on pay-per-view in select areas). It took place on Monday, April 7, 1986, making it the only WrestleMania that was not held on the customary Sunday. WrestleMania 2 took place at three venues: the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois, and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.

As with the first WrestleMania, the matches were shown on closed-circuit television across North America. The event was also the first WrestleMania to air on the national pay-per-view market. The commentating teams consisted of Vince McMahon and Susan Saint James in New York, Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, and Cathy Lee Crosby in Chicago and Jesse Ventura, Alfred Hayes, and Elvira in Los Angeles. The ring announcers were Howard Finkel (New York), Chet Coppock (Chicago), and Lee Marshall (Los Angeles).

WrestleMania VII

WrestleMania VII was the seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on March 24, 1991, at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The main event saw Hulk Hogan defeat Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship as part of a controversial storyline in which Sgt. Slaughter portrayed an Iraqi sympathizer during the United States' involvement in the Gulf War. Significant events on the undercard included The Undertaker's WrestleMania debut and the beginning of his renowned winning streak, a retirement match between "Macho King" Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior leading to the former's reuniting with estranged love Miss Elizabeth, as well as the final match of the original Hart Foundation, after which Bret Hart became primarily a singles wrestler.

Production

WrestleMania VII was originally scheduled to be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but the WWF decided to move the event to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The WWF's stated reason for the venue change was that it had security concerns in the wake of Sgt. Slaughter's portrayal of an Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War. In actuality, poor advanced ticket sales indicated the company would have major difficulty filling the estimated 100,000 seats available. The announced attendance of WrestleMania VII was 16,158.