6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 22
Slap The Face, Big Time.
CM Punk hung off the side of a gangster car on his Chicago WWE (and WrestleMania) debut, but you knew that - everybody knows that. Easily spotted by absolutely anybody that had ever seen Ring Of Honor before then, Punk was the type of guy you couldn't really use as an extra for that very reason - but this WWE couldn't care less for any of that.
In the modern age, Triple H turned to NXT to give masked future stars a chance to step out on 'The Grandest Stage' but 'The Game' et al thought nothing of letting him get his mug on camera just months before he'd be brought up to the main roster via Paul Heyman's ECW. He'd chastised his in-ring work months earlier as it was - he gave no mind to the goodwill trickling down.
At least he wasn't exposed to a contemporary 'Show Of Shows' sprawl. WrestleMania 22 was the final WrestleMania to take place in a standard-sized arena, but the white hot 17,155 in attendance provided the sights and sounds Stadiums so often lack. Particularly during the match that followed their future idol's comedy cameo...
(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, 21)