WWE WrestleMania History: Most Impressive Stats Throughout PPV's Legacy

Photo credit: WWE.com

WrestleMania will emanate from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, this weekend. The 37th edition of The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment will welcome spectators back for the first time since last February as the venue hopes to seat 24,835 fans.

WrestleMania isn't just the pro wrestling conglomerate's biggest event of the year, it's a cultural phenomenon that brings hardcore and casual fans together. The show also attracts a host of smaller indie promotions to the city it takes place in, creating a massive week of live wrestling for viewers to enjoy.

Since 1985, The Showcase of the Immortals has become a fixture in the professional wrestling industry. A who's who list of noteworthy celebrities have made appearances, and many wrestlers have had star-making moments at the event over the past 36 years. The show is Vince McMahon's greatest creation, and it has created a lasting legacy that will live on for generations.

WrestleMania 37 will be the first WWE pay-per-view event in over a year to host a live audience, which adds an extra level of excitement to the festivities.

Last year's two-night event was the first to take place in an empty arena because of restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Pro wrestling relies so heavily on crowd reactions, and the energy fans in attendance bring to these shows has been sorely missed during the pandemic era. So, it will be a treat to see viewers on hand to take part in the spectacle once again.

The Show of Shows routinely amasses the largest crowds in the industry. Although this year's edition will bring in the lowest number of spectators since WrestleMania 22 in 2006 (not counting last year's event), WWE has seated 70,000 fans over the last 14 years as it moved into stadiums.

To date, WrestleMania 32 boasts the highest attendance in the history of the event, with 101,764 present at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Surprisingly, the third iteration of The Granddaddy of Them All comes in at second, as WWE brought in 93,173 fans in 1987 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan.

The top 10 recorded attendance numbers

WrestleMania 32
April 3, 2016: Arlington, Texas; AT&T Stadium, 101,764

WrestleMania III
March 29, 1987:  Pontiac, Michigan; Pontiac Silverdome, 93,173

WrestleMania 35
April 7, 2019: East Rutherford, New Jersey; MetLife Stadium, 82,265

WrestleMania 29
April 7, 2013: East Rutherford, New Jersey; MetLife Stadium, 80,676

WrestleMania 23
April 1, 2007: Detroit, Michigan; Ford Field, 80,103

WrestleMania XXVIII
April 1, 2012: Miami Gardens, Florida; Sun Life Stadium, 78,363

WrestleMania 34
April 8, 2018: New Orleans, Louisiana; Mercedes-Benz Superdome, 78,133

WrestleMania 31
March 29, 2015: Santa Clara, California; Levi's Stadium, 76,976

WrestleMania 33
April 2, 2017: Orlando, Florida Camping; World Stadium, 75,245

WrestleMania XXX
April 6, 2014: New Orleans, Louisiana; Mercedes-Benz Superdome, 75,167

Charlotte Flair is one of the most glaring absences from this year's event because the homegrown star has been such a fixture at WrestleMania over the last six years.

In that time, The Queen has had some memorable moments and competed in multiple matches that will go down as the pinnacle of what women's wrestling can achieve. In 2016, the second-generation superstar capped off the Divas Era as its last champion. She had an incredible match with Asuka at WrestleMania 34, and she made history along with Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey as the first woman to headline the pay-per-view at Metlife Stadium in 2019.

That's an impressive resume for anyone, but many fans may not realize that Flair is the only woman in WWE history to compete for nearly every women's title at The Showcase of the Immortals.

The 35-year-old entered WrestleMania 32 as the last Divas champion and became the inaugural WWE women's titleholder. Then, she challenged for or defended the Raw, Smackdown and NXT Women's Championships on The Grandest Stage of Them All since.

That's quite an achievement for the 12-time world champion. Flair has already created a new standard for WWE's women's wrestlers, and she will undoubtedly go on to accomplish more at the show before she retires.

This year, Roman Reigns will make his return to WrestleMania after he pulled out of his universal title match against Goldberg at the 36th edition of the event. In the process, he will enter rarified air.

As he steps into Raymond James Stadium to defend the WWE Universal Championship, The Tribal Chief will enter a four-way tie for the third-most main event matches with five. This feat puts Reigns among stars like John Cena, The Rock and Shawn Michaels.

Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan leads the pack with eight showings, followed by Triple H, who has headlined The Showcase of the Immortals seven times. Over the next few years, the Samoan superstar could creep into second as he concludes his historic career.

10 Wrestlers with the most main event appearances

Hulk Hogan - 8 appearances
Triple H - 7 appearances
John Cena - 5 appearances
The Rock - 5 appearances
Shawn Michaels - 5 appearances
Roman Reigns - 5 appearances
The Undertaker - 4 appearances
Stone Cold Steve Austin - 3 appearances
Brock Lesnar - 3 appearances
Randy Orton - 2 appearances