April 3 2005
|-
! style="padding-right: 1.2em; width: 33%;" | Venue
| colspan="2" style="width: 66%;" |Staples Center
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! style="padding-right: 1.2em; width: 33%;" | City
| colspan="2" style="width: 66%;" |Los Angeles, California
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! style="padding-right: 1.2em; width: 33%;" | Attendance
| colspan="2" style="width: 66%;" |
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! style="padding-right: 1.2em; width: 33%;" | Buyrate
| colspan="2" style="width: 66%;" |
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! colspan="3" style="background-color: #d0d0d0; text-align: center;" | Pay-per-view chronology
|- class="hiddenStructure" style="text-align: center; font-size: smaller;"
|style="width: 33%;" valign=top|No Way Out 2005
|style="width: 33%;" valign=top|WrestleMania 21
|style="width: 33%;" valign=top|Backlash 2005
|}
WrestleMania 21 was the twenty-first annual WrestleManiaprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It took place on April 32005 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event was the first WrestleMania at the Staples Center, but the fifth to take place in the Southern Californiametropolitan area (following WrestleMania 2, WrestleMania VII, WrestleMania XII and WrestleMania 2000). WWE claimed that tickets were sold out in less than one minute for this event, which would be a record for the fastest selling WrestleMania and WWE event ever and the fastest ticket sell-out in the Staples Center's history. The event drew a Staples Center record attendance of 20,193 people from 14 countries and 48 states and grossed more than $2.1 million in ticket sales, making it the highest grossing WWE event ever at the Staples Center, and the highest grossing of the five WrestleManias held in California. In addition to those in attendance, WrestleMania 21 was seen by millions of fans in more than 90 countries.
WrestleMania 21 was a joint-promotion PPV event, featuring wrestlers from both the RAW and SmackDown! brands. The tagline for WrestleMania 21 was WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.
The theme song for WrestleMania 21 was "Bigtime" by The Soundtrack of Our Lives. The finishing recap video was played to "Behind Those Eyes" by 3 Doors Down.
Held prior to the live pay-per-view broadcast, this battle royal was filmed for the WrestleMania 21 DVD release, an overseas WWE promotional DVD (For the Daily Star Newspaper in the UK), and for the paying crowd. Booker T won the 30-man interpromotional battle royal.
Both men were one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions at the time of this match. This was the first time in the history of WrestleMania that members of the tag team championship fought each other. Mysterio defeated Guerrero with a Huricannrana pin.
The victor of the match earned himself a contract to wrestle for the World Heavyweight Championship anytime within the next twelve months, up to and including WrestleMania 22 (however, due to the switching of brand champions at the 2005 Draft Lottery the contract was changed to a WWE Championship match). Edge gained the victory by knocking Benoit off the ladder with a steel chair shot to the left arm and shoulder, and climbing up to grab the briefcase.
Stone Cold Steve Austin celebrating with the crowd
Eugene entered the ring to talk about his memories of WrestleMania. Muhammad Hassan entered afterward and complained about how he was excluded from WrestleMania 21. He attacked Eugene and gave him the camel clutch to create his own "WrestleMania moment". Hulk Hogan entered and interrupted their attack, clearing the ring. He then posed for the crowd.
The Undertaker defeated Orton with a Tombstone Piledriver, even after the interference of "Cowboy" Bob Orton, earning him his thirteenth consecutive WrestleMania victory and increasing his undefeated streak to 13-0.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper interviewed Stone Cold Steve Austin in his infamous Piper's Pit segment. They slapped each other at the beginning of the interview, and Piper had fun with the audience's "What?!" chants. Later, Carlito Caribbean Cool interrupted and insulted them, resulting in Piper eating Carlito's apple and spitting it in his face, and Austin attacking Carlito with a Stone Cold Stunner, and throwing him out of the ring. Austin and Piper celebrated with Austin's trademark beer party, then Austin gave Piper the Stone Cold Stunner.
Batista winning the World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H came out to a live performance of his theme tune by Motörhead. 2005 Royal Rumble winner Batista defeated Triple H with a Batista Bomb to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. This was Triple H's fourth straight Wrestlemania main event. He has lost the last two.
Promotion
In line with the event's Los Angeles location, WrestleMania 21 was promoted on television with a series of trailers parodying famous modern movies, but with wrestlers playing the starring roles. Movies parodied included:
WrestleMania 21 marked the first time the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship both changed hands on the same night in standard singles matches and at a WrestleMania.
The name of the theme song for WrestleMania 21, Bigtime, is also the name of the theme song for WrestleMania 22, however it is spelled Big Time and is performed by Peter Gabriel.
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker were the only two competitors from WrestleMania VII to return to Los Angeles to compete at WrestleMania 21. Michaels teamed with Marty Jannetty to face The Barbarian and Haku. Undertaker faced Jimmy Snuka. Both were victorious. It was Michaels first WrestleMania victory, and The Undertaker's WrestleMania debut.
WrestleMania 21 marked the first WrestleMania not to feature The Rock since WrestleMania XII in 1996. He made his debut during WrestleMania 13 and appeared every year consecutively until WrestleMania XX, currently his last WrestleMania appearance.
Hulk Hogan's appearance marked his first since WrestleMania XIX in 2003, and his 12th overall appearance at the annual event.
Christy Hemme is the only superstar to make her televised WrestleMania in-ring debut.
The 100 dollar bills that were dropped during JBL's entrance had a picture of Bradshaw on both sides with the title "In John Bradshaw Layfield We Trust" and "For promotional use only, not real tender".
This is the first Piper's Pit segment at a WrestleMania since WrestleMania V.
The lead-up to Hulk Hogan's induction to the WWE Hall of Fame and segment with Eugene, Hassan and Daivari was featured in an episode of Hogan Knows Best titled WrestleMania.
During the Money in the Bank match, Tyson Tomko carried Christian up the ladder on his shoulders in the electric chair position. Ultimately, Kane attacked Tomko, leaving Christian on the ladder. At WrestleMania X-Seven during the TLC II Match, Rhyno helped Christian up the ladder in a similar manner.
This was the first time that WWE Tag Team Champions would face each other in a single's match at a WrestleMania event.
This was the third consecutive year that the Intercontinental Championship was not defended. In fact, the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, the Cruiserweight Championship, nor either the World or WWE Tag Team Championships were defended.
This was the first WrestleMania to feature a match involving ladders since WrestleMania X-Seven, when the TLC Match was held.
WrestleMania 21 was the first WrestleMania event not to feature a tag-team match and the first since WrestleMania III not to feature a tag team title match.
WrestleMania 21 marks the fourth consecutive time that Triple H headlined WrestleMania in a World Championship match, beating the previous record of Hulk Hogan's three times.
This WrestleMania, along with the preceding one and the proceding one, would all take place from the three locations that hosted WrestleMania 2, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles (This one from Los Angeles, WrestleMania XX from New York, and WrestleMania 22 from Chicago).
Of the competitors in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match, only Chris Benoit, Kane, and Chris Jericho had been former World Champions at the time. Chris Benoit has been a former World Heavyweight Champion, Kane has been a former WWE Champion, and Chris Jericho has been both a former WCW World Heavyweight Champion (then called the World Championship) and a WWE Champion at the same time to become the first WWE Undisputed Champion.
Every match, besides the Women's Championship match, had at least one competitor who has been a former world champion (Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kane, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Big Show, JBL, and Triple H).
All participants of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match have previously been in at least one ladder match, and have also been former WWE Intercontinental Champions.
I 1985 | 2 1986 | III 1987 | IV 1988 | V 1989 | VI 1990 | VII 1991 | VIII 1992 | IX 1993 | X 1994 | XI 1995 | XII 1996 13 1997 | XIV 1998 | XV 1999 | XVI 2000 | X-Seven 2001 | X8 2002 | XIX 2003 | XX 2004 | 21 2005 | 22 2006 | 23 2007
