WrestleMania 22, the twenty-second annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event under the WWE banner was presented by Snickers and took place on 2 April 2006, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. The event card contained 12 matches and almost all the titles except the Intercontinental title were defended that night.
The tickets for this show were sold out in less than two minutes after the sale was opened. The event amassed US$2.5 million for the event, making it the highest grossing one-day event at the Allstate Arena. Also, this was the last WrestleMania event that was held inside a traditional arena.
The Undertaker vs Mark Henry
After beating Randy Orton the previous year and improving his streak to 13-0 at WrestleMania, the Undertaker returned at WM 22 to face the world’s strongest man, Mark Henry in a Casket match. The first superstar to push his opponent into the casket and close the lid is declared the winner.
In a relatively shorter match, it was all Undertaker right from the beginning. Taker countered two attempts from Henry to close the lid for the win and reversed them with the moves of his own. He finally made his streak 14-0 after delivering a Tombstone to Henry and pushing him into the casket.
Vince McMahon vs Shawn Michaels
The match between Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels ended with Vince soaked in his own blood. Michaels didn't seem like beating Vince for the sake of the match, rather it appeared as if Shawn wanted to punish Vince brutally due to some personal grudge.
Michaels used every weapon at his disposal to punish Vince and the crowd loved every bit of this debauchery. During the match, Shane McMahon came to the aid of his father but Michaels beat the hell out of Shane and sent him away. He later delivered an elbow from the ladder with Vince on the table and the boss' face covered with a trash can. Michaels emerged victorious at the end of the night, happy for Vince that Michaels stopped here.
Mick Foley vs Edge
You know what happens when the hardcore legend, Mick Foley wrestles inside the WWE ring. Talk about Foley facing someone like the Rated R superstar in a hardcore match at a stage like WrestleMania? That itself would tell you the entire story.
This match was a fight between the celerity of Edge and the imbecile mind of Mick Foley when he sees the hardcore equipment. Though the match had several bone crunching moments, the best was stored for the end. Lita, who accompanied Edge into the match arranged a table outside the ring and set it on fire.
Edge sees this and spears Foley onto this table through the middle ropes. Foley burns his body and becomes unconscious. A half broken Edge covers Foley for a three-count and the win.
Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton vs Kurt Angle
A couple of years ago at WrestleMania 20, two of the WWE fan favourites, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit had their WrestleMania moments. This time, the slot was reserved for the high flying Mexican, Rey Mysterio.
Many websites and analysts rated this as the best moment of the night. Kurt Angle defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio in a Triple threat match. During the closing moments of the match, Kurt Angle was sent outside the ring by Rey and it was Rey and Randy fighting inside for the gold.
Rey delivered Orton a 619 and won the title just like that. Just to remind you here, Rey Mysterio came into this match after winning the 2006 Royal Rumble and created the record for spending the most time in a Rumble match and it is a record even today.
John Cena vs Triple H
As was the case with any WrestleMania main event, this match also lasted for more than 20 minutes. John Cena defended his WWE Championship against Triple H in a traditional singles match. Both the superstars made this match special with their impressive entrances.
Their attire was different and the fans loved it. Talking of the match, this was a typical Cena style match in which resilience played a great role. Triple H initially attempted a Pedigree but was countered by Cena into an FU and managed to get a two-count.
Cena went ahead with an STFU but couldn’t get Triple H tap. Triple H tried another Pedigree but couldn’t get it right. Cena delivered another STFU and made the ‘Game’ tap out.
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