wrestling / Columns

411Mania’s Countdown to Wrestlemania XXVI 3.15.10:: WrestleMania By the Numbers

March 15, 2010 | Posted by John Meehan


Graphic By Meehan

Welcome one and all to the first installment of 411’s countdown to the Big Dance, the night where the lights shine the brightest, the grandest stage, the cornerstone of the wrestling calendar, the place where it all begins again, the Showcase of the Immortals, THE GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL — WRESTLEMANIA 26!!!

This year, the 411 staff has put together two full weeks of special edition WrestleMania-themed columns. Each day, we’ll be posting WrestleMania musings, memories, dream matches, and more as we count down the days to the biggest night in the history of the professional wrestling calendar year.

For the third year in a row, I’ve been charged with the awesome task of slogging through the stats of WrestleManias gone by. Basically, I thought it’d be a fun way to kickstart the 411 WrestleMania countdown if we all took a quick chance to look at some of the “numbers” behind each of the WrestleManias of the past. I’m not talking about live gate revenue, merchandise sales or anything like that — I’m talking about the storied (useless?) “trivia and tidbits” behind each of the major trends at ‘Manias past. You know, all of the fun (and ultimately meaningless) factoids that you can swap with your buddies while watching the big dance from the cheap seats or your local neighborhood watering hole.

This was a heck of a lot of fun last year, and comparing last year’s stats with those from one year earlier? I can’t help but notice that if there’s one thing to be learned by studying the hard facts of past WrestleMania cards, it’s simply to expect the unexpected.

So join Mee as we go inside the numbers!

Fittingly, as we count down the days to the “Big Dance” ourselves, we’ll start this feature off by tracing past performers’ success as they too have navigated the home stretch down “The Road To WrestleMania.”


The Rumble and The Road

Tracking the Success Records of Royal Rumble Winnners in Major Championship Bouts at WrestleMania


Royal Rumble Winners Who’ve Gone on to Win Championships at WrestleMania: ELEVEN.
Is “The Road to WrestleMania” Paved with Gold?

Yokozuna – won the 1993 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 9)
Bret Hart – co-won the 1994 Royal Rumble (with Lex Luger), then the WWF Title (WM 10)
Shawn Michaels – won the 1996 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 12)
Steve Austin – won the 1998 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 14)
Steve Austin – won the 2001 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 17)
Triple H – won the 2002 Royal Rumble, then the Undisputed Title (WM 18)
Brock Lesnar – won the 2003 Royal Rumble, then the WWE Title (WM 19)
Chris Benoit – won the 2004 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 20)
Batista – won the 2005 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 21)
Rey Mysterio – won the 2006 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 22)
The Undertaker – won the 2007 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 23)

Note: Since the “winner gets a WrestleMania title shot” stipulation was introduced, virtually all of the Royal Rumble winners went on to claim gold at The Grandaddy of Them All. In fact, John Cena’s failure to win gold in 2008 marked the first time in EIGHT years that a Royal Rumble winner was unsuccessful at a WrestleMania match. Last year, however, Randy Orton continued the trend — casting further doubt as to whether or not the historical precedent still holds as true today as it once did.


Will “The Ultimate Opportunist” make history or simply repeat it?

In Other Words: According to the historical precedent, eleven of eighteen Royal Rumble winners (or roughly 61% of winners) have gone on to win gold at WrestleMania since 1993. This puts the Royal Rumble winner’s chances of claiming a championship at WrestleMania just shy of 2 out of every 3 attempts, and it means that Edge has a 61.1% chance of defeating Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Given the fact that *no* Royal Rumble winner has been successful when contesting for a top title over the past two attempts, one would have to believe that history is squarely in the corner of the Rated R Superstar — which could mean that Edge is due.


The Debuts

Looking at the Newcomers to The Grandest Stage of Them All


Newcomers to the “Grandest Stage of Them All” always generate their fair share of buzz in the weeks prior to WrestleMania, so here’s our chance to highlight those performers that will be eligible to make their WrestleMania debuts at this year’s supershow. Interestingly, you’ll notice that there are a LOT of performers on WWE’s roster who have yet to make their WrestleMania debuts (for the sake of this column, we’re not counting dark matches or pre-show battle royales).


Sheamus leads the charge of this year’s WrestleMania rookies, which also includes The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and others.

Current WWE Divas Eligible for WrestleMania Debuts in 2010: ZERO
The following female peformers have never yet competed in a televised WrestleMania match

(None)

Note: Since women’s matches remain something of a premium on The Grandest Stage of Them All, missing a spot on the WrestleMania card is not nearly as disastrous for the ladies as it can be for their male counterparts. As a frame of reference, the single most WrestleMania-experienced female performer currently on a WWE roster (Melina) has only competed in just THREE WrestleMania matches in her entire career, going 2-1 (with last year’s battle royal being her sole defeat) in the process. In fact, the female performer with the most WrestleMania experience all of company history is Trish Stratus, who appeared in just FOUR separate WrestleMania matches.

In Other Words: Last year, fourteen female performers on a WWE roster had yet to compete in a televised WrestleMania match. Since that time, ALL of those women have taken part in a WrestleMania match (and each picked up a loss in the process). Surprisingly, NONE of those same ladies have been released from the company.

This year, WWE has no new divas on their main roster (save perhaps Vickie Guerrero, but I’m pretty sure she’s not technically a “wrestler”) who have yet to make a WrestleMania debut.

Current WWE Superstars Eligible for WrestleMania Debuts in 2010: THIRTY FOUR.
The following in-ring performers have never yet competed in a televised WrestleMania match (not including pre-show / dark matches)

Evan Bourne
Ted DiBiase
The Miz
Primo
Cody Rhodes
Sheamus
Jack Swagger

David Hart Smith
Dolph Ziggler
Drew McIntyre
JTG
Luke Gallows
Mike Knox
R-Truth
Shad Gaspard
Slam Master J
Tyson Kidd

Caylen Croft
Ezekiel Jackson
Trent Baretta
Tyler Reks
Vance Archer
Vladimir Kozlov
Yoshi Tatsu
Zack Ryder

Wade Barrett
Daniel Bryan
Justin Gabriel
David Otunga
Skip Sheffield
Heath Slater
Michael Tarver
Darren Young

Note: Last year, twenty six active male performers on a WWE roster had yet to compete in a televised WrestleMania match. Since that time, two made proper WrestleMania debuts (Kofi Kingston and Santino Marella), an additional performer returned from sabbatical (Ted DiBiase), seven of those same men have been released from the company, a full crop of new performers have been added, and two more were demoted to the company’s developmental territory.

In short: 18 of the 36 guys currently awaiting a WrestleMania debut (roughly one in two) were in the exact same position last year.


Cody Rhodes, for example.

In Other Words: Two years ago, one out of every two male performers who’d never made a WrestleMania appearance ended up getting the axe by year’s end. Last year, that figure dwindled to just 5 releases and 2 demotions — so (particularly in light of the “New Superstar Initiative” and WWE’s NXT program) it appears as if missing your first WrestleMania payday is not nearly as surefire a death knell to a young performer’s career as it once was.

However, the influx of new, young talent has seemed to translate of a longer holding period for performers prior to their first proper WrestleMania appearance. And whereas two years ago, 1 out of every 2 performers who’d never made it to a WrestleMania card were pretty much guaranteed to end up with a pink slip — these days, 1 out of every 2 performers who continue to await a WrestleMania debut will likely find themselves in the exact same outside-looking-in position at this time next year.


“About-Faces” and “About” Heels

Keeping Tabs on Who Turned or Stayed True at WrestleMania, and Why


From Macho Man’s tearful reunion with Miss Elizabeth to Stone Cold’s shocking deal with the devil himself, WrestleMania has played host to some of the most memorable swerves and allegiance changes in the history of professional wrestling. This section looks at who turned on who and how they did it, as well as just *when*, exactly, wrestling fans might be able to expect to see another shocking development some time on down the line.

FACE Turns at WrestleMania: TEN.
Tracking the baddies who “saw the light” at The Grandaddy of Them All

Brutus Beefcake – left the Dream Team and helped Roddy Piper at WM 3
Bret Hart – turned face at WM 4 (which subsequently turned Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart)
Andre the Giant – turned on Bobby Heenan at WM 6
Randy Savage – reunited with Miss Elizabeth at WM 7
Steve Austin – refused to submit to Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter at WM 13
Mike Tyson – knocked out dX’s Shawn Michaels and sided with Steve Austin at WM 14
The Big Show – turned on Vince McMahon after being disqualified at WM 15
Kane – was betrayed by Chyna at WM 15
Trish Stratus – turned on Vince McMahon and aligned with Linda McMahon at WM 17
Hulk Hogan – turned defacto face in the Toronto Skydome against The Rock in WM 18

Note: For the sake of this column, I’ve omitted Chyna’s momentary “mini-turn” at WrestleMania 15 (where she turned face to align with Triple H for a brief second, only to turn right back around and have them BOTH betray X-Pac later in the night).


“The Baddest Man on the Planet?” Not after WrestleMania 14 he wasn’t.

With ten babyface turns in 25 prior WrestleMania PPV events, fans can reasonably expect to see one turn every two and a half years or so (40%). That said, a heroic WrestleMania babyface turn hasn’t occured since 2002 (WM 18), which means fans have waited eight whole years — over three times as long as the statistical average — for a rulebreaker to become a fan favorite on The Grandest Stage of Them All

In Other Words: As was the case with last year’s show, WrestleMania is seriously overdue for a shocking babyface turn. That said, just about all of the babyface turns in WrestleMania history have pretty much come without any prior warning whatsoever — so there’s almost no way to predict just *who*, exactly, might be the one doing the turning. If I were a betting man, I’d put the smartest money on Randy Orton — although some might argue that he’s already well on his way to a babyface turn with or without some shocking reveal at WrestleMania.

That being said, of course, if Orton has any intentions of giving the good-guy act an honest effort moving forward, it certainly wouldn’t hurt his cause to end up playing the reluctant hero on the Night where the Lights Shine the Brightest. Can you say “unlikely alliance with Kofi Kingston?” Laugh if you must — but frankly, it’s the only way I see Kofi making this year’s WrestleMania card.

HEEL Turns at WrestleMania: SEVEN.
Keeping tabs on the good guys who joined “the dark side” at the Big Dance

Rick Martel – walked out on Tito Santana during Strike Force match at WM 5
Curt Hennig – heelishly disqualified Lex Luger as guest referee at WM 10
Bret Hart – famed “double-turn” Sharpshooter finish vs. Steve Austin at WM 13
Triple H – reunited with Chyna and turned on X Pac at WM 15
Vince McMahon – turned on The Rock in the main event of WM 16
Steve Austin – aligned with Vince McMahon to defeat The Rock at WM 17
Trish Stratus – swerved Chris Jericho to reveal her loyalty to Christian at WM 20

Note: Fun trivia fact — only seven performers have ever turned heel at WrestleMania. And three of those performers (Austin, Stratus and Hart) also just so happened to have turned *face* on The Grandest Stage of Them All as well.

(Once again, we’re omitting Chyna from this list — simply because the heel/face dynamic was pretty screwy at WM 15, and it’s not all that clear just *if* she ended up swapping allegiances at all, really).


Austin/McMahon: Best WrestleMania Heel Turn Ever?

In Other Words: As WrestleMania traditionally ends the booking year with some “send the fans home happy” closure, heel turns at WrestleMania PPVs of the past are among the rarest of WrestleMania events — second rarest only, in fact, to heels winning or retaining a major title in the main event of the evening.

Typically, heel turns at WrestleMania occur just north of once every four years (28%). That said, the last WrestleMania heel turn occured a full SIX years ago (WM 20), so fans could very well wind up seeing something of this nature any day now. But who?

FACE Wins in WrestleMania Final Match/Main Events: TWENTY-THREE.
A look at who had their hand raised as the show drew to a close

Hulk Hogan & Mr. T – defeated Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (WM 1)
Hulk Hogan – defeated King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match (WM 2)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Andre the Giant (WM 3)
“Macho Man” Randy Savage – defeated Ted DiBaise (WM 4)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Randy Savage (WM 5)
The Ultimate Warrior – defeated fellow fan-favorite Hulk Hogan (WM 6)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Sgt. Slaughter (WM 7)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Sid Justice by disqualification (WM 8)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Yokozuna after Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart (WM 9)
Bret Hart – defeated Yokozuna (WM 10)
Lawrence Talor – defeated Bam Bam Bigelow (WM 11)
Shawn Michaels – defeated fellow fan-favorite Bret Hart in an Iron Man Match (WM 12)
The Undertaker – defeated Psycho Sid (WM 13)
Steve Austin – defeated Shawn Michaels (WM 14)
Steve Austin – defeated The Rock (WM 15)
Triple H – defeated Chris Jericho (WM 18)
Brock Lesnar – defeated quasi-fan-favorite Kurt Angle (WM 19)
Chris Benoit – defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels (WM 20)
Batista – defeated Triple H (WM 21)
John Cena – defeated Triple H (WM 22)
John Cena – defeated fellow fan-favorite Shawn Michaels (WM 23)
The Undertaker – defeated Edge (WM 24)
Triple H – defeated Randy Orton (WM 25)

Note: Heels competing in the last match of the night are virtually guaranteed to fail. No, seriously — it is virtually impossible to win a show-closing main-event bout if you’re fighting for any cause other than the forces of good.


Case in Point: The Boyhood Dream.

Exceptions to the rule? The only two heelish victories in the last match on a WrestleMania card in history (WM 16 and WM 17) were only achieved thanks to a last-second alliance with an onscreen uberbaddie (Vince McMahon on both occassions). In other words — if you’re going to go home as a heel with a main event victory under your belt at WrestleMania, then you’re really going to have to do it in spectacular fashion.

In Other Words: Good guys win at WrestleMania, *especially* when they’re competing in the main event. Looking at the historical precedent alone, a whopping 92% of all WrestleMania pay per views in history have ended with a fan favorite standing tall to close out the broadcast.

(Needless to say, Chris Jericho and Batista had both better start praying to God and/or making a deal with Vince McMahon that they don’t have the dubious honor of defending their belts in the show-closing contest).

Additional Fun Fact: Face and heel alignments aside, WWE really likes to end their Grandaddy of Them All with a high-profile championship bout whenever possible. In fact, a non-title match has only ever closed out a WrestleMania card on two occassions (WM 1 and WM 9), and the last WrestleMania PPV to end with a non-title match actually transpired a full fifteen years ago (when Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bigelow).

In Other Words, Part II: Shawn Michaels might well indeed be “The Show Stopper,” but he’s not likely to be the show-closer, so don’t get your hopes up for an HBK vs. Undertaker main-event to take us home for the evening.


Top Title Stats

A Look at the History of Major Championship Bouts at WrestleMania Events of Yesteryear


WrestleMania is indeed The Showcase of the Immortals, and many of those larger-than-life characters managed to earn themselves a place in the annals of history thanks to a high-profile championship victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All. In this section, we take a quick look at just which belts changed hands and when.

WORLD Title Changes at WrestleMania: SIX.
Tracing the WM lineage of Smackdown’s highest prize

Chris Benoit – defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WM 20
Batista – defeated Triple H at WM 21
Rey Mysterio – defeated Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at WM 22
The Undertaker – defeated Batista at WM 23
The Undertaker – defeated Edge at WM 24
John Cena – defeated Edge (c) and The Big Show at WM 25

Note: Since this title’s revival in September, 2002, it has only been successfully retained at one WrestleMania PPV (WM 19). This gives the title an average titleholder-retention rate of just 14.23%, tipping the odds heavily in favor of the challenger, and making it the likeliest “top belt” to change hands at any given WrestleMania PPV.


Good news for Rey Mysterio, obviously.

In Other Words: You challenge for the World Title at WrestleMania, you win the World Title at WrestleMania — it’s as simple as that. The only statistic that throws this trend into jeopardy is the fact that this championship is the fact that it is the single belt most likely to be defended in a triple-threat environment.

Take a look:

Triple Threat Matches for the WORLD Title at WrestleMania: THREE.
Bouts with multiple challengers for the Big Gold Belt

WrestleMania 20 – Chris Benoit defeats Triple H and Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania 21 – Rey Mysterio defeats Kurt Angle and Randy Orton
WrestleMania 25 – John Cena defeats Edge and The Big Show

Note: – Three of the seven World Title defenses at WrestleMania were contested under triple threat rules, meaning that just about one out of every two World Title defenses at WrestleMania (42.86%) will feature more than two participants. This likewise diminishes a challenger’s odds of winning the Big Gold Belt, as the seven WrestleMania defenses have actually featured a combined total of TEN challengers to the defending champion’s gold.

In Other Words: A Triple Threat is clearly not the case this year (again, as is the case one out of every two years or so), which is bad news for Chris Jericho. Even worse news? Edge has never yet won or retained the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania (but then again, Jericho has likewise proven unable to retain a major title at The Big Dance) — and the Big Gold Belt is the single championship in WWE that is most likely to leave a titleholder’s posession on the Night Where The Lights Shine the Brightest.

WWE Title Changes at WrestleMania: SIXTEEN.
Tracing the WM lineage of RAW’s highest prize

“Macho Man” Randy Savage – won a tournament for the vacant title at WM 4
Hulk Hogan – defeated Randy Savage at WM 5
The Ultimate Warrior – defeated Hulk Hogan at WM 6
Hulk Hogan – defeated Sgt. Slaughter at WM 7
“Macho Man” Randy Savage – defeated Ric Flair at WM 8
Yokozuna – defeated Bret Hart at WM 9
Hulk Hogan – defeated Yokozuna at WM 9
Bret Hart – defeated Yokozuna at WM 10
Shawn Michaels – defeated Bret Hart at WM 12
The Undertaker – defeated Sycho Sid at WM 13
Steve Austin – defeated Shawn Michaels at WM 14
Steve Austin – defeated The Rock at WM 15
Steve Austin – defeated The Rock at WM 17
Triple H – defeated Chris Jericho at WM 18
Brock Lesnar – defeated Kurt Angle at WM 19
John Cena – defeated JBL at WM 21

Note: Since WrestleMania’s inception in March, 1985, this title has been defended at every WrestleMania PPV but one (WM 1). Though it has successfully been defended on ten separate occassions at WrestleMania (WM 2, WM 3, WM 10, WM 11, WM 16, WM 20, WM 22, WM 23, WM 24, WM 25), it has also changed hands a whopping sixteen times at WrestleMania PPV events. This means that on average, fans can expect to see the WWE Championship change hands and the challenger emerge victorious in just shy of two out of every three WrestleMania contests (61.53%).


Unfortunately for John Cena, WrestleMania 24 was a rare exception to this rule.

In Other Words: If there was ever any doubt as to which individual belt was WWE’s highest prize, look no further than the statistics shown here:

  • The WWE Championship is less likely to change hands at any given WrestleMania event than its World Heavyweight Championship counterpart
  • The WWE Championship has been won at WrestleMania by the likes of Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, and Steve Austin. And…
  • The WWE Championship only ONCE been defended under triple threat rules (WM 23), and it has not changed hands at WrestleMania since WM 21.

    Successful Top-Tier Title Defenses at WrestleMania: ELEVEN.
    Including World, WWE, and Undisputed Championship matches

    Hulk Hogan – retained the WWF Title against King Kong Bundy (WM 2)
    Hulk Hogan – retained the WWF Title against Andre the Giant (WM 3)
    Yokozuna – retained the WWF Title against Lex Luger (WM 10)
    Diesel – retained the WWF Title against Shawn Michaels (WM 11)
    Triple H – retained the WWF Title in a four-way match (WM 16)
    Triple H – retained the World Heavyweight Title against Booker T (WM 19)
    Eddie Guerrero – retained the WWE Title against Kurt Angle (WM 20)
    John Cena – retained the WWE Title against Triple H (WM 22)
    John Cena – retained the WWE Title against Shawn Michaels (WM 23)
    Randy Orton – retained the WWE Title against Triple H and John Cena (WM 24)
    Triple H – retained the WWE Title against Randy Orton (WM 25)

    Note: Since it has been retired from active competition, the ECW Championship (which was never really treated as a “major” belt to begin with) will likewise be removed from this statistical sampling moving forward.

    In Other Words: In thirty two matches for “top titles” at WrestleMania PPV events in years past (World, WWE, Undisputed, and the now defunct ECW title), only eleven of those matches saw top-tier championship belts leaving the night around the waist of the same person who walked into the evening wearing the gold. By the numbers, this means that just shy of 35% of all top-level champions (one in three) will leave WrestleMania wearing the same belt they entered the arena with just hours earlier.


    Triple H pulled off precisely this feat last year. And the crowd goes… mild?


    Individual WrestleMania Records

    An In-Depth Look at Personal Bests and Worst of WrestleMania’s Biggest Stars


    This is the part where legends are made — the individual WrestleMania accolades. In this section, you’ll find WrestleMania win/loss records for each of WWE’s current crop of performers. In addition, we’ve got a ton of info on which stars have the strongest and weakest WrestleMania streaks to date, as well as some insight regarding which stars have *yet* to pick up a big win on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

    Current WWE Performers with the MOST WrestleMania Experience
    Ranked in order of most WrestleMania appearances to fewest

    1. The Undertaker – has competed in 17 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
    2. Shawn Michaels – has competed in 16 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
    3. Triple H – has competed in 13 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
    4. Kane – has competed in 11 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
    5. Big Show – has competed in 9 separate WrestleMania PPV events.

    Note: Obviously this stat would lead one to believe that WrestleMania is certainly the place for the veterans to shine. Yet if you take a look at the overall WM win/loss rates for each WWE performer (below), it becomes pretty clear that most WM *appearances* does not always translate to most WM *WINS*.


    Well, except for that guy…

    In Other Words: Four out of five of WWE’s current crop of performers with the MOST WrestleMania appearances to their credit also just so happen to boast WrestleMania win/loss records shy of the .500 mark. This is a testament both to the staying power and the success of The Undertaker, who is the only active veteran performer to have racked up literal “decades of destruction” with a winning record on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

    Current WWE Performers with STRONGEST WrestleMania Win/Loss Records
    (Must have competed in 3 WrestleMania matches or more)

    1. Undertaker – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 17-0 (100%)
    2. John Cena – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 5-1 (83.33%)
    3. Batista – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 3-1 (75%)
    4. Edge – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 5-3 (62.5%)
    5. CM Punk – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-1 (66%)

    Note: With a win at WrestleMania 25 of his own, John Cena improves his lifetime WrestleMania standing to an impressive 83.33% overall — a record second only to The Undertaker. Thanks to a win and a loss at last year’s WrestleMania PPV, respectively, Rey Mysterio and Christian would have traded spots to become the number 5 and number 6 most winningest (yes, that is a phrase) performers currently signed to a WWE roster. However, CM Punk also won at last year’s WrestleMania, improving his lifetime record to 2-1 (66%). Likewise, Bret Hart’s return to WWE with a record of 7-6 (53.84%) puts him just behind Rey Mysterio (3-2, or 60%) but ahead of Christian (3-3, or 50%) at the number seven slot.


    Ironically, “Mr. WrestleMania” himself is nowhere near the top of the statistic win/loss heap.

    Fittingly, WrestleMania 26 will play host to a clash between the event’s #5 and #6 most winningest performers as CM Punk takes on Rey Mysterio (one would assume).

    In addition, John Cena’s current storyline sees him warring against Batista over which man can rightfully lay claim to being WWE’s “poster boy,” and The Champ’s overall WrestleMania win/loss record puts him just slightly ahead of the very same man that he’ll be facing on this year’s show. These two men are neck and neck for the #2 and #3 spots among WrestleMania’s best statistic performers. Should Batista pick up the victory, he will trade places with Cena to become the second winningest performer (statistically) in the history of WrestleMania.

    In Other Words: It’s pretty cool to see how a good chunk of this year’s WrestleMania matchups are actually pretty evenly matched based on sheer past performance and statistical probability. Obviously, the “winning percentage” stat shows us why it’s no wonder that The Undertaker’s WrestleMania record is such a no-brainer marketing ploy year in and year out, as nobody even comes CLOSE to matching the guy’s longevity and success.

    Just how dominant is The Dead Man and these four men at the top of the WrestleMania win/loss heap? As a frame of reference, the sixth strongest WrestleMania performer currently signed to a WWE roster is Chistian, who boasts a lifetime WrestleMania win/loss record of 3-3 — meaning that nobody else who can rightfully call themselves a “WrestleMania veteran” has even managed to win so much as 50% of their matches on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

    Current WWE Performers with WEAKEST WrestleMania Win/Loss Records
    (Must have competed in 3 WrestleMania matches or more)

    1. Goldust – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 0-5 (0%)
    2 (tie). Vince McMahon – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 0-3 (0%)
    2 (tie). Mark Henry – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 0-3 (0%)
    4. Big Show – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-8 (11.11%)
    5. Shelton Benjamin – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-5 (16.66%)
    6. Matt Hardy – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-5 (28.57%)
    7. Chris Jericho – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 3-6 (33.33%)
    8. Randy Orton – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-4 (33.33%)
    9. Shawn Michaels – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 6-10 (37.5%)
    10. Triple H – – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 6-7 (46.15%)

    Note: Vince McMahon has officially returned from his retirement from active competition, and thus his record-setting winless percentage of 0-3 (0%) has been added back to this list accordingly.


    On the bright side, at least the fact that Goldust is not likely to be appearing at this year’s show won’t add another loss to his record.

    Matt Hardy’s win at last year’s event makes him the biggest gainer in this year’s list, vaulting from a dismal fifth worst overall place (at 17%) to a slightly more impressive sixth place ranking of 28.57%. Shelton Benjamin, meanwhile, continues to slide further down the list of the losingest performers in WrestleMania history — dropping yet another loss in a Money in the Bank ladder match.

    In Other Words: Money in the Bank is a great way to get a lot of talent onto the WrestleMania card itself, but it’s also one of the easiest ways to rack up a WrestleMania loss in a hurry. Shelton Benjamin can’t seem to buy a WrestleMania win for trying. And this year? His inclusion in the Money in the Bank ladder match doesn’t appear to stack the odds any better in his favor. Ditto for Matt Hardy, whose momentum could well be headed for a crashing halt due to his also-ran role in a match to determine a number one contender.

    Current WWE Performers with Unbeaten WrestleMania Streaks
    Ranked from longest to shortest streak, based on number of wins

    1. The Undertaker – has gone 17-0 in his seventeen WrestleMania appearances.
    2. The Great Khali – has gone 1-0 in his sole WrestleMania appearance.

    Note: As was the case last year, we’ve excluded one-off WrestleMania celebrity competitors (Floyd Mayweather, for example) for the sake of this ranking. And in terms of regular competitors, Tommy Dreamer (1-0) retired, while Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, and Melina each suffered their first WrestleMania loss in last year’s Miss WrestleMania battle royal, thus eliminating them from the list entirely.

    In Other Words: The Undertaker remains virtually untouchable among the ranks of WWE’s current crop of The Big Dance’s unbeaten. Edge and Cena’s WrestleMania win streaks are ancient history, which means that the second longest active WrestleMania winning streak by a male performer is a paltry ONE victory.


    Hard to believe, but The Great Khali actually shares a WrestleMania record.

    Current WWE Performers with Winless WrestleMania Streaks
    Ranked from longest to shortest streak, based on number of losses

    1. Goldust – has gone 0-5 in his five WrestleMania appearances.
    2. Finlay – has gone 0-4 in his four WrestleMania appearances.
    3 (tie). Mark Henry – has gone 0-3 in his three WrestleMania appearances.
    3 (tie). MVP – has gone 0-3 in his three WrestleMania appearances.
    5 (tie). Carlito – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
    5 (tie). Funaki – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
    5 (tie). William Regal – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
    8 (tie). John Morrison – has gone 0-1 in his sole WrestleMania appearance.
    8 (tie). Kofi Kingston – has gone 0-1 in his sole WrestleMania appearance.

    Note: Last year, 13 performers that were under WWE contract and had appeared at a past WrestleMania event had yet to pick up a WrestleMania win. This year, that list has shrunk to just 9 performers — meaning that four wrestlers with winless streaks on The Grandest Stage of Them all were handed their walking papers in the past 365 days.


    Whew! Dodged that bullet, eh?

    In Other Words: Losing at WrestleMania is nothing to cry about (heck, just about everyone has done it). But losing EVERY TIME you get to WrestleMania? Well, that’s something of a heartbreaker. And making the card just once in your career only to end up eating a pinfall is usually a good sign that you’ll be pursuing “future endeavours” in short order.


    Individual WrestleMania Win/Loss Records

    WM records for each current in-ring male WWE performer (alphabetical)


    Batista: 3-1
    Big Show: 1-8
    Carlito: 0-2
    Chavo Guerrero: 1-2
    Chris Masters: 0-1
    Chris Jericho: 3-6
    Christian: 3-3
    CM Punk: 2-1
    Edge: 5-3
    Finlay: 0-4
    Funaki: 0-2
    Goldust: 0-5
    Great Khali: 1-0
    The Hurricane: 1-1
    Jimmy Wang Yang 0-1 (as Akio)
    John Cena: 5-1
    John Morrison 0-1
    Kane: 5-6
    Kofi Kingston 0-1
    Mark Henry: 0-3
    Matt Hardy: 2-5
    MVP: 0-3
    Randy Orton: 2-4
    Rey Mysterio: 3-2
    Santino Marella 1-0 (as “Santina” Marella)
    Shawn Michaels 6-10
    Shelton Benjamin 1-5
    The Undertaker: 17-0
    Triple H: 6-7
    Vince McMahon: 0-3
    William Regal: 0-2


    Diva WrestleMania Win/Loss Records

    WM records for each current in-ring female WWE performer (alphabetical)


    Alicia Fox 0-1
    Beth Phoenix: 1-1
    Brie Bella 0-1
    Eve Torres 0-1
    Jillian 0-1
    Katie Lea Birchill 0-1
    Kelly Kelly 0-1
    Layla London 0-1
    Maria: 0-2
    Maryse 0-1
    Melina: 2-1
    Michelle McCool 0-1
    Mickie James: 1-1
    Natalya Neidhart 0-1
    Nikki Bella 0-1
    Rosa Mendez 0-1

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