10 Things You Need To Know About Past WWE Road To WrestleManias

10. Khali And Hogan - Battle Of The Billionaires

WrestleMania 23 drew the highest PPV buyrate in WWE history (with $1.2m buys). That number was accredited to the Battle of the Billionaires match. The BOTB match, pitting Bobby Lashley against Umaga with Vince McMahon and Donald Trump's hair on the line, was pushed as the main attraction. How could a match featuring McMahon, Trump and special referee Stone Cold Steve Austin not be pushed as the most important, must-see match on the show? Amongst such esteemed and charismatic company, Umaga and Lashley were almost treated as an afterthought. The match looked a lot different in the planning stages. At one point Shane McMahon was going to be defending his father's hair and there were a number of people pencilled in to play the Lashley role. Believe it or not, at one point the match was going to have Hulk Hogan taking on The Great Khali. Just think about that for a second. Hulk Hogan versus The Great Khali? Sends a chill down the spine, doesn't it? Yes, WWE actually thought that Khali and Hogan would have a match that was at least passable, despite both men's knackered bodies and other limitations. WWE figured that the match made sense because it was the 20th anniversary of Hogan slamming Andre The Giant at WrestleMania 3. Logical, maybe. A good idea? Certainly not. Khali wrestled Kane on the 'Mania 23 undercard and WWE did their best to recreate the famous slam that way.