"28 Days of Mania": 40 Reasons We LOVE WrestleMania

About "28 Days of Mania": This will be an ongoing series for the next 28 days, leading up to the biggest event in sports entertainment, WrestleMania 28. The idea behind the piece is to build more momentum for the event and give you, the Bleacher Report fan, a chance to read, comment and weigh in with opinions about the WWE, the business and the event. It is my hope this becomes something positive and we all enjoy the ride for the next four weeks to Miami—and the biggest event of the wrestling year. Enjoy.

It is the grandest stage. The greatest day in wrestling. The best of all time.

And the accolades continue.

Twenty-eight (I wonder if Vince McMahon thought this would carry on this long?) amazing years, WrestleMania is what we all talk about.

Yes, Starrcade was first, but Vince saw the future through cable and television and the great American dollar and made something that is one of the most amazing events in reality television and sports entertainment.

And what does he have in store for us this year?

It really does not matter, since WrestleMania never ceases to entertain and have us wanting more.

And for those reasons alone, it is why we are all wrestling fans.

These are just 40 of the reasons we LOVE this event.

Jim Ross

He is the closest person there is in this business to a Gordon Solie. We need that southern twang and the story-telling that Ross creates when he is behind the microphone.

On an epic night like this and the great matches that are being shown, it makes sense to bring back the greatest voice in the business.

Ric Flair/Shawn Michaels

It was one match where I shed tears like Shawn Michaels did.

Flair has been a huge part of the reason I watch professional wrestling, and to compliment Michaels, he is the closest thing to a "Ric Flair" we will ever see in this business.

It may not have been the greatest match in WM history, but it served its purpose and two grand superstars gave us an amazing show.

The Hulkster

He started it all.

When he came to the WWF, there was nothing but excitement and a change in the company was needed.

Vince McMahon took a balding, blond superstar and transformed him into an icon.

Hulk is as much WrestleMania as anyone ever, and his first three years at the event set the tone for what we now see today.

William 'The Refrigerator' Perry

Everyone loved "The Fridge."

William Perry was already an icon in football as a gimmick player with the wildly popular Chicago Bears. Vince McMahon took this star and used him for publicity and the ability to see him do something other than the "Super Bowl Shuffle."

Watching Perry in the celebrity Battle Royal was worth the price of admission.

Suspended Animation

That one moment where we watch in disbelief and then recall it as one of the greatest moments in wrestling history.

We have seen at least 27 of them over the years (yes, there have been more). And this year, with all the drama and hype, you know we will see at least one more.

Rock/Austin

The greatest feud of the "Attitude" Era.

It made the WWF/WWE an amazing hit and pitted two of the most popular wrestlers of all time against each other. There may not be another battle like that again in this business.

It wasn't just about the battles; it was the showmanship, the verbal barrages and the hype. Everything lived up to it and then some.

Marketing

When you can take an event like this and make it even better, find ways to sell it from another angle and still make it as important as it was from the day it started, it is the grandest of events.

And it still makes us go out and buy tickets and merchandise.

Drama

Who will win? What happens if there are injuries?

Why did this happen?  I did not expect this angle.

Those four statements depict how we feel leading up to the event and then during it. Vince McMahon knows how to play on everyone's desires and then changes all the rules.

How very Roddy Piper of him.

Hall of Fame Induction

Seeing our favorite stars being inducted is another way for us to link the past to the present.

This year's class is another epic showing and proof that everyone wants to come work for Vince McMahon and become a true superstar.

And I love the Four Horsemen.

Return of Veteran Superstars

The Rock. Triple H. Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels. The list goes on for a bit.

And the constant reminder The Undertaker is still the greatest damn wrestler of all time.

And in the future, we will see stars of today come back to shock us all.

It Sells Itself

Just the name alone is enough to get people excited, for them to make travel plans and make it a sabbatical each year.

Much like NASCAR fans, the WWE Universe is as loyal as they come when WrestleMania is concerned.

Old School vs. New School

There is quite a bit of difference in how the format was promoted when Vince came up with this idea and how it is promoted today.

There was the "wrestling" aspect in the beginning, where wrestlers came to the show, performed and then killed it in the ring.

Then there are the newer wrestlers who are larger than life and are a one-man show.

John Cena

The best wrestler in the company over the last decade.

It defies odds on how this man has been the centerpiece of this company for so long when there have been others (like in the Hogan era) who could have carried the torch as well.

But Cena comes to WrestleMania each year and gives everyone the show they have been wanting, and he will again on Sunday.

Title Changes

We love seeing a new champion, especially when the new champion has never won before.

The excitement, the tears in his eyes and the crowds that roar when his name is announced as the "new champion."

That is what this event is all about.

Cyndi Lauper

She helped usher in the "Rock and Wrestling" combination with Hulk Hogan when her protege, Wendi Richter, beat Moolah for the title.

It was electric, and it was the culmination of one of the best builds in wrestling history.

WrestleMania I tops them all in my estimation for what it did to the business and what it did for the careers of many wrestlers.

Mr. T

He was hard to get along with and was stiff as a board, but this was another example of how Vince McMahon's fertile mind brought in millions.

Mr. T was very popular on "The A-Team" and McMahon, like Perry and others, cashed in on it to bring the house down.

While he was really bad at preparation and did not like to follow directions, the combination of Hulk Hogan and Mr. T was dynamite.

How It All Started

Muhammed Ali. Cyndi Lauper. The Rockettes. Donald Trump. Liberace and Hulk Hogan.

It does not get much better than that.

And in between all this, there was some wrestling.

All Time Heels

When you have a heel that can stand on his own and make his character special, it is just as important to the success of the program as it is who wins and loses.

Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Roddy Piper. They all were some of the best at their trades. They also sold for the face in their matches many times over in PPV events.

We tend to love the heel as much as we love the face.

All Time Faces

Hillbilly Jim, Jim Duggan, Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware. All great faces in the WWF.

And all of whom the fans loved unconditionally.

That is part of the separation from the older generation and the newer one as well. These faces were part of a subculture that caught the country and the world by storm.

They were new and innovative. And we love to see them in their glory.

Dream Matches

Rock/Austin.

HBK/Ric Flair.

Undertaker/Flair.

HHH/Kurt Angle.

Vince McMahon knows how to maximize what the fans want and how they need to be wooed, with matches that are not necessarily thought of every evening in the arenas.

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

The give and take between these two men was something special.

Heenan and Monsoon just flowed, and with the likes of Jesse Ventura or Vince McMahon joining in, it just created a situation that was "comfortable" with the fans and on the screen.

The commentary was just as important as the matches these men called in WM events.

Did We Just See That?

I think this stems from the unthinkable antics of Hulk Hogan, who had to be the center of everything. Personally, I believe he was fearful people would forget about him.

He needed to be the center of attention  even in loss, and wrestlers like Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage could not maximize their potential.

Hogan made it look like everything was his idea.

Building for the Future

The WWE must realize just what its future is.

The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, and Bo Rotundo is a start. The WWE needs to find out who they can run to in the future and separate the "haves from the have nots."

I truly think The Miz needs to be rebuilt and start a feud with Cody Rhodes or challenge someone like Dolph Ziggler or Wade Barrett.

What Will They Think of Next?

The Big Show is the wrestler who always looks like the clown in these events.

Floyd Mayweather, sumo wrestling and now in a match with Cody Rhodes where anything can happen.

I wonder how this one will go down?

It Is the Super Bowl of Wrestling

Nothing is bigger and nothing is better.

As far as entertainment goes, it is some of the best drama in the business, and the mainstream entertainment outlets know about it and follow it like it is the best damn thing going today.

Just like Vince McMahon wanted it to be.

The Crowds and Fan Fare

They love their pay-per-view events.

WrestleMania brings out the casual fan. It makes them ask questions. It makes them buy the PPV. And it makes them bigger fans than they might have been.

Fans have a way of creating an appearance and are part of the event that the commentators feed off of.

Edge

He truly was one of the greats of all time.

Edge was better than I give him credit for and more of a part of the WWE Machine.

As a tag team wrestler and as a singles champion, he is one of the most decorated competitors of all time.

Sable

The WWF wasn't the same without her involvement.

Come back, Sable. And whether or not you bring Brock Lesnar is up to you.

"Iron" Mike Tyson

Here is Vince McMahon cashing in again on someone's celebrity.

This time, Steve Austin and HBK helped make Tyson an instant star in wrestling circles.

And he still remained the "Baddest Man on the Planet."

A Chance to Create History

Something historical always happens.

Friends fighting each other.

Hulk Hogan getting back in the ring.

Ric Flair retiring.

The emergence of Randy Orton.

Whatever it is, we will always remember it.

Can You Smell What the Rock Is Cooking?

We all can, and that is why even after being away from the ring for so long, he is still as popular as he is.

Win, lose or draw, The Rock can do no wrong.

The Rock's charisma is still ever-apparant and he can still bring the ability, but the question is whether he can bring the entire package and make us believe he still has "it."

We shall see Sunday night.

Different Locations

Everyone has a chance to see the event live.

Each year, like the Super Bowl, the event moves from town to town. It brings out fans all over the country and it also allows people from the smaller towns to travel short distances to see their biggest fans.

From California to Miami and everywhere in between, it remains a huge success.

Diesel and Pamela Anderson

Oh, the plastic in this picture.

I know everyone has their own opinion of Anderson, but I'm just glad she could be in the slideshow.

And if she could come back at any time, I think many of us, whether we admit it or not, wouldn't mind seeing her again.

Diesel, we could do without.

Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat

To this day, I think it is the best wrestling match I have ever seen.

While Razor Ramon and HBK has been spoken of as the best PPV match of all time, this one sticks in my mind.

Savage and Steamboat was a rivalry that we just "enjoyed," where former NWA stars came to the WWF and gave us everything they had in the ring.

Unpredictability

Nothing ever goes according to plan.

That would be too easy. And with the Rock's involvement last year leading to this year, you know something will happen with one of the matches that will lead to another war, maybe a battle in WM 29.

My money is on HBK and HHH in WrestleMania 29.

Stacy Keibler

We just miss you, Stacy.

Enough said.

Celebrity Appearances

William Perry, Lawrence Taylor, Bill Fralic, Russ Francis.

And there is always Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather.

The WWF/WWE always seems to find the right mix of celebs to make the matches more entertaining. And while there have been better celebrity wrestlers in other organizations, it still is fun for all of us to watch.

The Streak

This ties in with the next slide, but is there anything greater than seeing the Iron Man record like this?

Every year we wait to see who will come out and try to break it. No one has done so, and it makes us think there really is a Lou Gehrig in wrestling.

But there is always this year...

Hell in a Cell

I believe two things about Sunday night.

This will be one hell of a match and this will also be the last time we see Undertaker in the ring.

There is nothing greater than the idea of these three men getting in the ring together and there is no greater end to a career that has been as productive as the Dead Man.

This has the potential to be the greatest match in WM history. And based on the Undertaker's past with injuries, it also has the potential to be a disaster. I think that is why they brought HBK into the match to begin with.

Andre vs. Hogan

This is the match that truly defines what WrestleMania is all about.

After two years of building the idea and finding the right spot, Vince McMahon surprises us with the most shocking turn of events of all time.

Andre turns on Hulk Hogan.

It was one of those suspended moments in time that changed the course of wrestling history. And we all saw it at Skydome.