- published: 01 Mar 2016
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WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced annually in late March or early April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. WWE first produced the event in 1985 to be its premiere annual event and has since produced twenty-eight editions with the twenty-ninth scheduled to take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2013. WWE regards it as a flagship event due to it being the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. WrestleMania was conceptualized by WWE owner Vince McMahon.
WrestleMania's widespread success helped transform the professional wrestling industry and make WWE the most successful wrestling promotion in the world.[citation needed] The event has facilitated the rise to stardom of wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, John Cena, and CM Punk. Celebrities such as Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Taylor, Pamela Anderson, Mike Tyson, Donald Trump, Floyd Mayweather, Snoop Dogg and others have participated or made special appearances within the events.
Shane Brandon McMahon (born January 15, 1970) is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon. He is also the older brother of Stephanie McMahon and brother-in-law of professional wrestler Paul "Triple H" Levesque. He spent over 20 years in WWE, leaving in January 2010.
In WWE, he is a one-time European Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion. McMahon is considered a fourth generation McMahon as he follows his great-grandfather, Jess McMahon, his grandfather Vincent J. McMahon, and his father Vincent K. McMahon.
McMahon began his on-screen career as a referee named Shane Stevens in 1990 and was the first performer to walk out to greet the audience at WrestleMania VI. Shane McMahon also refereed during the 1991 Royal Rumble match. He soon left behind the blue shirt and bow-tie and took on the role of a backstage official at WrestleMania VIII in an attempt to break up a brawl between Randy Savage and Ric Flair.
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to WWE and is the company's most tenured competitor. Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mean" Mark Callous in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract in 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation in October and, after shortening his name from Kane the Undertaker to simply The Undertaker, has remained with the company since.
The Undertaker has two contrasting personas. The first is the role of The Deadman, an undead, occult-like figure, which has consisted of many different styles. He debuted his original Deadman persona during his own on-camera debut at Survivor Series (1990). At this event, the Undertaker was clad as a Western mortician. Next, in October of 1998, the Undertaker appeared as the leader of the Ministry of Darkness (with similar apparel). Since WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker has appeared as a hybrid version of the Deadman character, using elements of the previous Deadman incarnations.