6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 21

Hooray For Hollywood

by Michael Hamflett
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WWE

WrestleMania's return to larger venues in 2001, 02 and 03 had only paused at three because of the romantic connotations of returning to home territory for the 20th edition of the show - Vince McMahon was back thinking very grand when it came to his 'Grandest Stage'.

The event itself is a victory for legacy booking. Wrestling fans have long memories and appreciate a sense of stability in such a rapidly-changing "universe". The 'Show Of Shows' has been the cemented constant for any fan entering into a wrestling indulgence at any point - so much so that the 'SuperBowl Of Wrestling' tag isn't remotely hyperbolic. Audiences can and will travel the world to be part of the spectacle - why not find a place big enough to house them all?

Stadiums were set to make a full time return, but it was high time the company found new faces (and heels) to sell them out. WrestleMania 21 went "Hollywood", but the future stars weren't on a walk of fame - they were i the squared circle...

(Want more WrestleMania Ups & Downs? We got 'em: I, 2, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, 13, XIV, XV, 2000, X-Seven, X8, XIX, XX)

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett