10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 27 Facts
The Rock has come back....to overshadow everybody else.
While the WrestleManias of the previous six years or so were mostly good offerings, the most levied criticisms came for the main matches, more specifically their participants. Between WrestleManias 21 and 26, there were 12 World Championship matches. John Cena took part in six of them, Triple H in four, and Batista, Edge, and Randy Orton were each in three. Other combatants in those matches were on the older end of the WWE spectrum, including The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, and Big Show, each of whom had previously held numerous World titles.
While The Miz and Alberto Del Rio represented a smidgen of freshness at WrestleMania 27, WWE was about to trek down a slippery slope even more concerning than just active roster staleness: the stars of yesterday, stepping over those who break their backs working a fuller calendar.
Make no mistake, it's easy to justify bringing in The Rock as a WrestleMania headliner because he's, well, The Rock. His surprise appearance on the February 14, 2011 edition of Raw was one of the coolest and most refreshing WWE moments in seemingly forever. His spot as WrestleMania's "guest host", however, left a bit to be desired. Truly, it was the surge that burst the dam, regarding Vince McMahon's eager accessibility to his rolodex of yesteryear.
Here are ten facts about WrestleMania 27 you may not have known.
10. WWE Wanted To Have Brock Lesnar Appear In Some Capacity
As a noted MMA fan, it wasn't unusual to see The Undertaker (with wife Michelle McCool) sitting cage-side at UFC 121 in Anaheim, especially with ex-WWEer Brock Lesnar defending the Heavyweight belt in the main event. After Lesnar got his bell rung by Cain Velasquez, he just happened to be strolling away from The Octagon in a daze at the same time MMA journalist Ariel Helwani interviewed The Undertaker. The two heavyweights locked eyes briefly, with The Undertaker plainly asking Lesnar if he "wanted to do it."
The confrontation was staged on The Undertaker's part (watch Undertaker's eyes as he waits for Lesnar to approach). Reportedly, WWE was interested in using Lesnar in something of a Mike Tyson/Floyd Mayweather capacity at WrestleMania, using his real-sport celebrity to cross-pollinate fight fans in WWE's direction. The Undertaker's involvement was meant to insinuate the idea of a Lesnar match without outright tampering with a contracted performer.
However, Lesnar's exclusive UFC contract made it impossible to work out any sort of deal, and UFC face-man Dana White even publicly stated it was out of the question.