McMahon relied on the Los Angeles locales for his penultimate small-scale edition of the show, but the silver screen helped him strike gold. "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood" as a premise drew mountains of praise thanks to a series of p*ss-funny parody vignettes, with the staging on the evening paying off all pre-show investments.
WrestleMania 21 was one of the most-purchased too. 980,000 parted with their cash to see the stereo ascensions of John Cena and Dave Batista, but credit must also go to the fabulous sense of occasion the company created around the card.
It was ironic - a back-to-basics 'Mania between the ropes was masked by the faux-glitz and glamour of the aesthetic, but it cannily provided equal parts sizzle and steak. After years of clinging to the past for profit, the seventh highest-drawing show in WWE's history dove headfirst into the future.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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
