191 Fun Facts About WWE

Who was the 21st and final victim of The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak, in 2013?

CM Punk became win number 21 at WrestleMania 29; he made a dramatic exit from WWE the following January and stayed away for almost ten years, returning at Survivor Series in 2023.

Which wrestler ended The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak?

Brock Lesnar needed three F-5s to pin The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX in 2014, and The Undertaker left the stadium in an ambulance with a severe concussion.

Which finishing move did Steve Austin make famous?

The Stunner is a sudden jawbreaker; Austin first dropped his boss Vince McMahon with it on Raw in September 1997 and was led away under arrest, launching their long feud.

What is John Cena's signature catchphrase?

'You Can't See Me!' became the title of John Cena's 2005 rap album, named for the catchphrase he had coined on WWE television; it debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.

Which trio made up WWE's 'The New Day'?

Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods defended tag titles under the 'Freebird rule', with all three recognised as champions, during a 483-day reign across 2015 and 2016.

Which 2003 stable positioned Randy Orton and Batista as wrestling's future alongside two veterans?

Evolution billed its two veterans as wrestling's past and present; the group later turned on one of its two young stars and threw him out the night after his biggest win.

Kane, WWE's masked 'Big Red Monster', won election to which office in Knox County, Tennessee, in 2018?

Mayor of Knox County was the job Glenn Jacobs, the man behind Kane, won in 2018 after taking the Republican primary by just 23 votes; he held the office for two terms, until 2026.

Before wrestling, The Rock won a 1991 national championship playing college football for which school?

Miami had Dwayne Johnson as a backup defensive tackle on its 1991 title team; after a Canadian Football League team cut him in 1995, he followed his father and grandfather into wrestling.

Which company acquired WWE in 2023 and merged it with UFC's parent to form TKO Group?

Endeavor took 51% of the new TKO Group in a deal valuing WWE at $9.3 billion, the first time the company was not majority-controlled by the McMahon family.

A trademark fight with which organization forced WWE to drop its old name in 2002?

World Wildlife Fund, the conservation charity still known by that name in North America, held the wrestling company to a 1994 deal limiting its use of their shared initials and beat it in London's Court of Appeal.

What is The Undertaker's real name?

Mark Calaway had wrestled as 'Mean' Mark Callous before Ted DiBiase unveiled him as the mystery member of his team in November 1990; he eliminated his first opponent within about a minute.

When WWE went PG in 2008, John Cena's finishing move, the F-U, was renamed what?

The Attitude Adjustment got its family-friendly name as WWE shifted from a TV-14 to a TV-PG rating; Cena's submission hold, the STFU, was trimmed to the STF at the same time.

Whose 'Yes!' chant grew into a fan movement that carried him to the WrestleMania XXX main event?

Daniel Bryan's supporters chanted 'Yes!' until he was added to the WrestleMania XXX main event; he wrestled twice that night and left as world champion.

Which legendary manager was known for carrying an urn to the ring with The Undertaker?

Paul Bearer was played by William Moody, who really had a degree in mortuary science and was a certified embalmer and mortician before the WWF cast him as The Undertaker's ghoulish manager.

Which WWE event is billed as 'The Showcase of the Immortals'?

WrestleMania, WWE's flagship event since 1985, is billed as 'The Showcase of the Immortals' and 'The Grandest Stage of Them All'.

Under which ring name, blending his father's and grandfather's, did The Rock make his WWF debut?

Rocky Maivia, a blend of Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia, debuted at Survivor Series 1996 as a smiling babyface; fans rejected the act before he reinvented himself as The Rock.

Which WWE faction debuted in November 2012 with Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, famously entering through the crowd?

The Shield dominated as a unit until Rollins turned on his partners in 2014.

Who stepped down as WWE chairman in June 2022 amid a misconduct probe, then returned as executive chairman in 2023?

Vince McMahon retired in July 2022 after stepping back in June, returned as executive chairman in January 2023 to steer the company's sale, and resigned from TKO in January 2024.

Which WWE Superstar was known as "The Rated-R Superstar"?

Edge sat in the 11th row as a 16-year-old fan at WrestleMania VI in Toronto's SkyDome in 1990, and went on to headline WrestleMania himself.

What match type involves retrieving a briefcase suspended above the ring?

The Money in the Bank Ladder Match awards a contract for a title match at any moment within a year; its first winner cashed in on a champion who had just finished another title defence.

At King of the Ring 1998, Mankind was thrown from the top of a 16-foot cell through what?

The Spanish announce table broke Mankind's first fall; minutes later a chokeslam sent him through the cell's roof, an unplanned collapse that briefly knocked him out, yet he finished the match.

What was Hulk Hogan's signature finishing move?

The Running Leg Drop ended his 'Hulking up' comeback routine: finger-pointing, a flurry of punches, an Irish whip, a big boot and then the drop.

Which WWE Hall of Famer is known as "The Nature Boy"?

Ric Flair took the Nature Boy name after a 1975 plane crash forced him to trade brawling for grappling, then feuded with the original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers, over it.

Which former WWE champion plays Drax the Destroyer in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films?

Batista told an interviewer he would ask Marvel to release him from the third film if it dropped fired director James Gunn's script; Disney reinstated Gunn the following year.

Which wrestler portrayed three distinct personas: Cactus Jack, Mankind, and Dude Love?

Mick Foley entered the 1998 Royal Rumble three times, once as each of his 'Three Faces of Foley', the only wrestler to appear in one Rumble under three personas.

What name is given to the 1990s TV ratings battle between the WWF's Raw and WCW's Nitro?

The Monday Night Wars saw WCW's Nitro beat Raw in the ratings for more than 80 straight weeks from 1996, before the WWF fought back and bought its rival's assets in 2001.

Which woman became the first to enter the men's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 30 in 1999?

Chyna earned the number 30 spot by winning a smaller 'Corporate Rumble' on Raw two weeks earlier, throwing the company's own chairman out last.

What submission hold is Bret Hart famous for?

The Sharpshooter was new to Bret Hart when the WWF asked him to adopt it; by his own account, Konnan was the only wrestler in the locker room who knew the hold and taught it to him.

Which WWE stable's entrance routine opens with the group's leader asking the crowd if they are ready?

D-Generation X built the routine as a parody of ring announcer Michael Buffer's 'Let's get ready to rumble!', a jab at rival WCW, where Buffer introduced the main events.

From 2012, WWE taped its NXT show on the campus of which Florida university?

Full Sail University students helped produce the NXT tapings, with ticket and merchandise sales feeding a scholarship fund; the show stayed until moving to the WWE Performance Center in 2020.

Which third-generation wrestler became WWE's youngest world champion at 24 in August 2004?

Randy Orton won his first world title about two years after his main-roster debut; the very next night his own stable turned on him and threw him out.

Which finishing move did The Undertaker introduce in his WWF debut at Survivor Series 1990?

The Tombstone Piledriver survived WWE's ban on piledrivers, brought in after a botched one badly injured Steve Austin in 1997; only The Undertaker and Kane kept permission to use it.

Which PPV event traditionally features elimination-style tag team matches?

Survivor Series, one of WWE's original Big Four PPVs, is known for its traditional elimination tag team matches where two teams of four or five compete until all members of one team are eliminated.

Which woman won her 14th WWE world championship by beating Ronda Rousey in December 2022?

Charlotte Flair walked out after seven months away, challenged Ronda Rousey to an impromptu match on the December 30, 2022 SmackDown and beat her in under a minute.

Which referee called for the bell in the 1997 'Montreal Screwjob'?

Earl Hebner called for the bell at Survivor Series 1997 on Vince McMahon's order while Shawn Michaels had Bret Hart in a submission hold, though Hart never submitted.

Which catchphrase did Stone Cold ad-lib at King of the Ring 1996 to mock Jake Roberts?

Austin 3:16 mocked Jake Roberts's born-again gimmick; Austin ended the same promo with 'And that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so', and the Austin 3:16 shirt became one of WWE's best sellers.

Which snake nickname is Randy Orton known by?

The Viper suits the way Orton stalks opponents before striking with the RKO, a finisher named after his own initials; WWE also bills him as 'The Apex Predator'.

Sasha Banks and Bayley were two members of which NXT-bred group?

The Four Horsewomen — Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch — came through NXT together; three were promoted in July 2015, months after fans' #GiveDivasAChance protest over a women's match that lasted under a minute.

Which multi-man cage match, introduced in November 2002, borrowed from Hell in a Cell, the Royal Rumble and WarGames?

The Elimination Chamber locks four of its six wrestlers in pods opened at five-minute intervals; Shawn Michaels won the first, soon after returning from a back injury that had kept him out for more than four years.

Who became WWE's Chief Content Officer in September 2022?

Triple H had retired from the ring earlier in 2022 after a cardiac event the previous September, then took charge of WWE's creative direction as Chief Content Officer.

At which WrestleMania did Hulk Hogan famously bodyslam Andre the Giant?

WrestleMania III billed the slam as a first, but Hogan had already slammed Andre at Shea Stadium in 1980, in a match Andre went on to win.

Hulk Hogan won with the Axe Bomber lariat, not his usual finisher, when wrestling in which country?

Japan saw a more technical Hogan than American fans knew; his Axe Bomber, a crooked-arm lariat, knocked out Antonio Inoki in 1983 to make him the first IWGP champion.

Who won the first women's WrestleMania main event in 2019, a Winner Takes All triple threat for the Raw and SmackDown titles?

Becky Lynch pinned Ronda Rousey, the first time the former UFC champion had been pinned in WWE, and left with both women's titles.

Roman Reigns held which WWE title for 1,316 days from August 2020 to April 2024?

Universal Championship gold stayed with Reigns for 1,316 days, the longest reign in the title's history; it ended at WrestleMania XL in a match fought under his own stable's 'Bloodline Rules'.

What does the term "kayfabe" mean in professional wrestling?

Kayfabe is the portrayal of staged events as real — wrestlers staying in character and treating scripted rivalries as genuine; the WWF publicly conceded wrestling was scripted entertainment to New Jersey legislators in 1989.

Which WWE Hall of Famer, its first Intercontinental Champion, created the Royal Rumble match?

Pat Patterson's staggered-entry idea debuted in January 1988 as a free cable special, aired head-to-head with a rival promotion's pay-per-view to cut into its audience.

Who won the 2006 Royal Rumble after entering second and lasting a then-record 62 minutes?

Rey Mysterio, billed at 5 ft 6 and 175 pounds, outlasted 29 others, last eliminating the man who had entered at number 30.

How many men competed in the first televised Royal Rumble match?

The first Rumble had just 20 entrants and ran 33 minutes of the two-hour USA Network special; Jim Duggan won by last eliminating One Man Gang.

Thrown over the top rope, a Royal Rumble entrant is eliminated only when what happens?

Both of their feet touch the floor, and Shawn Michaels made the rule famous in 1995: thrown over with only one foot down, he pulled himself back in and won the match.

Which two wrestlers were declared co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble after a simultaneous elimination?

Bret Hart and Lex Luger hit the floor together in 1994 and were both named winners; when Batista and John Cena did the same by accident in 2005, the match was restarted.

Bret and Owen Hart learned to wrestle in a training room at their family home known as what?

The Dungeon, in the basement of Stu Hart's mansion, trained his sons and a long line of future pro wrestlers; the house itself is now a protected heritage site.

Who won the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match in 2018?

Asuka last eliminated Nikki Bella to win the first women's Royal Rumble in 2018, but her title match at WrestleMania 34 ended an undefeated streak of more than two years.

Who won the 2018 men's Royal Rumble by last eliminating Roman Reigns?

Shinsuke Nakamura entered at number 14, threw out Reigns last and immediately announced he would use his title shot to challenge AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34.

Who won the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018, earning a trophy and a title belt?

Braun Strowman threw out 13 of his 49 rivals himself, then the most in any Royal Rumble match, and finished by eliminating Big Cass to claim the trophy.

Who won the 2025 men's Royal Rumble by last eliminating John Cena?

Jey Uso, long known as half of a tag team with his twin brother Jimmy, outlasted 29 others and went on to win his first world title at WrestleMania 41.

Which perennial Royal Rumble entrant is famous for acrobatic escapes from elimination?

Kofi Kingston's best-known save came in 2012, when he walked on his hands to the ring steps and climbed back in; WWE gave it a Slammy Award as a moment of the year.

Which city hosted the 2026 Royal Rumble, the first ever staged outside North America?

Riyadh staged the first Royal Rumble held outside North America as part of the city's Riyadh Season festival; Roman Reigns won the men's match for the second time, eleven years after his first.

WWE traces its origins to which company, whose first show was in January 1953?

Capitol Wrestling Corporation staged its first show on January 7, 1953 and soon joined the National Wrestling Alliance; accounts still differ on whether Jess McMahon or his son Vincent founded it.

What name did Vince McMahon Sr.'s promotion adopt after leaving the NWA in 1963?

The World Wide Wrestling Federation name arrived in 1963 after Vince McMahon Sr. and Toots Mondt split from the NWA; Bruno Sammartino became its champion that May.

Which company, founded in 1980, acquired the WWF brand in 1982?

Titan Sports, founded by Vince and Linda McMahon in 1980, bought his father's company in 1982 and then broke with wrestling's regional territory system to take the WWF nationwide.

In which Connecticut city is WWE's global headquarters?

Stamford housed WWE in one office tower from 1991 to 2023, when the company moved to a new complex on Washington Boulevard; the old tower was sold in 2025 to be turned into apartments.

Which bodybuilding organization did Vince McMahon launch in 1990?

Vince McMahon's World Bodybuilding Federation launched in 1990, poached stars from the IFBB and staged two pay-per-view championships before folding in 1992.

Raw moved from USA Network to which platform in January 2025?

Netflix agreed a ten-year deal reported at $500 million a year, roughly double WWE's previous TV fee, ending Raw's three decades on traditional television.

Which Hollywood super-agent, the model for a character in Entourage, became TKO's executive chairman after Vince McMahon left?

Ari Emanuel, the agent who inspired Jeremy Piven's character in Entourage, took the chair after McMahon resigned in January 2024 amid sexual-misconduct allegations.

Whose 2,803-day world title reign is the longest in WWE history?

Bruno Sammartino won the title by beating Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds in May 1963 and kept it until January 1971, more than seven and a half years.

Whom did Bob Backlund beat in 1978 to begin his near six-year reign as heavyweight champion?

Superstar Billy Graham lost the title to Backlund in New York on February 20, 1978, pinned even though his leg was draped over the rope.

Which championship did Vince McMahon win on SmackDown in September 1999?

Vince McMahon pinned Triple H for the WWF Championship at the September 14, 1999 SmackDown taping with help from Stone Cold Steve Austin, then vacated the title six days later.

Vince McMahon was acquitted at a 1994 federal trial over distributing what to wrestlers?

Steroids were the issue; Hulk Hogan, the prosecution's main witness, testified under immunity that he had used them, but the jury still acquitted McMahon in July 1994.

Who was Hulk Hogan's tag partner in the first WrestleMania main event?

Mr. T and Hulk Hogan beat Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff after Piper's bodyguard swung his arm cast at Hogan and hit Orndorff instead, setting up the pin.

Which venue hosted the first WrestleMania?

Madison Square Garden in New York City staged the inaugural show; WrestleMania X returned to the same arena in 1994.

Which British wrestler beat Bret Hart for the Intercontinental title at Wembley in 1992?

Davey Boy Smith, the British Bulldog, was married to Bret Hart's sister Diana, and the WWF built the Wembley Stadium match around a family split between the two brothers-in-law.

Monday Night Raw debuted on which date?

Monday Night Raw premiered on January 11, 1993, from the Manhattan Center on the USA Network; it moved to TNN/Spike TV in 2000 and returned to USA in 2005.

SmackDown began in 1999 on which broadcast network?

UPN first tried SmackDown as a one-off special in April 1999 before making it weekly that August; when the network closed in 2006, the show moved to its successor, The CW.

NXT originally debuted in 2010 on Syfy as what kind of show?

NXT launched on Syfy in February 2010 as a seasonal reality-style competition pairing rookies with main-roster 'Pros'; Wade Barrett won the first season and formed The Nexus.

Bret Hart started out in 1976 as a referee for which promotion run by his father Stu?

Stampede Wrestling, Stu Hart's Calgary promotion, used Bret as a referee until he filled in for an absent wrestler in 1978; Vince McMahon bought the territory in 1984 and took Bret to the WWF.

Shawn Michaels formed The Midnight Rockers in 1985 with which partner?

Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels formed The Midnight Rockers in 1985, became The Rockers in the WWF, and split in January 1992 when Michaels threw Jannetty through the Barber Shop window.

Under what ring name did Triple H begin his career in 1992?

Terra Ryzing, a play on 'terrorizing', was his name in Killer Kowalski's promotion in 1992; he became Jean-Paul Levesque in WCW in 1994 and Hunter Hearst Helmsley in the WWF a year later.

Randy Savage walked to the ring to 'Pomp and Circumstance', a march by which composer?

Edward Elgar's march became America's graduation tune after it was played at Yale in 1905, when the university gave him an honorary degree; Savage used it as his entrance music in the WWF and WCW.

Besides wrestling, Randy Savage had a professional career in which sport?

Baseball came first for Randy Savage, then Randy Poffo, a minor leaguer in the Cardinals and Reds systems; when a home-plate collision wrecked his right shoulder he taught himself to throw left-handed.

Who pinned Hulk Hogan in the champion-versus-champion main event of WrestleMania VI?

The Ultimate Warrior, then Intercontinental champion, pinned Hogan at Toronto's SkyDome to take the WWF title, then had to give up his own belt because WWF rules barred holding both.

Roddy Piper, billed from Glasgow, was actually born in which Canadian city?

Roddy Piper was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1954 and raised in Winnipeg; the WWF billed him from Glasgow to match his bagpipes-and-kilt gimmick.

Which 1988 John Carpenter cult film starred Roddy Piper as the drifter Nada?

They Live cast Roddy Piper as a drifter whose sunglasses reveal that aliens run the world; he improvised its most quoted line, about being all out of bubble gum.

What was the name of the python Jake 'The Snake' Roberts carried to the ring in the 1980s?

Damien arrived in a bag and was draped over beaten opponents until Earthquake 'squashed' him on television in 1991; Roberts replaced him with a snake called Lucifer.

Yokozuna's ring name referred to the highest rank in which sport?

Yokozuna is sumo's highest rank; the Samoan-American wrestler adopted a Japanese sumo gimmick, complete with Mr. Fuji as manager, and won the WWF Championship twice in 1993.

Under which ring name did Kevin Nash win the WWF Championship in the 1990s?

Diesel was Kevin Nash's WWF name; he beat Bob Backlund in a matter of seconds in November 1994, three days after Backlund had taken the WWF Championship from Bret Hart, and kept it for 358 days.

Which future WWE star won Olympic freestyle wrestling gold in 1996 despite competing with a broken neck?

Kurt Angle cracked two vertebrae in a qualifying tournament months before the Games, won it anyway, and took Olympic gold in Atlanta, beating Iran's Abbas Jadidi for the title.

Eddie Guerrero's crafty, win-at-any-cost persona was known by what nickname?

'Latino Heat' was Eddie Guerrero's WWE persona from 2000: he would toss a chair to his opponent and drop to the mat so the referee thought he had been hit, and it carried him to the WWE Championship in 2004.

The 619, Rey Mysterio's signature move, takes its name from the area code of which city?

San Diego's 619 area code names the move after Rey Mysterio's hometown; after his family moved to Tijuana when he was a boy, he crossed the border every morning to go to school in the city.

Who became the first Undisputed WWF Champion in 2001 by beating Austin and The Rock?

Chris Jericho beat The Rock for the WCW title and Steve Austin for the WWF title on one night at Vengeance in December 2001, merging the two belts nine months after the WWF bought WCW.

Which Mexican star did CM Punk beat at Survivor Series 2011 to begin his 434-day WWE title reign?

Alberto Del Rio submitted to CM Punk at Survivor Series 2011, and Punk kept the WWE Championship for 434 days until The Rock beat him at the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Daniel Bryan was born in which Washington town, also the hometown of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain?

Aberdeen-born Bryan Danielson was fired by WWE in 2010 for choking a ring announcer with the man's own necktie during a televised attack, then brought back two months later.

AJ Styles won his first WWE Championship in September 2016 by beating whom?

Dean Ambrose lost the WWE title at Backlash in September 2016 when AJ Styles hit him low while the referee was down and followed with the Styles Clash, in Styles's first year with WWE.

What is Kevin Owens' real surname, under which he wrestled before WWE?

Steen is his real surname; WWE changed only that part in 2014, to Owens, as a tribute to his son Owen, who is himself named after Owen Hart.

Which wrestler spent two years in face paint as Stardust, a spin-off of Goldust?

Cody Rhodes played Stardust beside his half-brother Dustin's Goldust from 2014, asked for his release in 2016, and returned at WrestleMania 38 as 'The American Nightmare'.

Which 'special counsel' began managing Roman Reigns in 2020?

Paul Heyman became Roman Reigns's 'special counsel' in August 2020 and helped turn him into a dominant villain, then betrayed him at WrestleMania 41 to side with Seth Rollins.

Seth Rollins is billed from which Iowa city?

Seth Rollins is billed from Davenport, Iowa, his hometown, where in 2019 he opened a coffee shop a short walk from the wrestling school he co-founded.

Bianca Belair's 420-day reign, begun at WrestleMania 38, set the longevity record for which title?

The Raw Women's Championship stayed with Bianca Belair for 420 days from WrestleMania 38, where she beat the champion who had pinned her in 26 seconds the previous summer.

Rhea Ripley joined which stable in 2022?

The Judgment Day recruited Rhea Ripley in 2022; within weeks she and her stablemates turned on the group's founder and threw him out of his own faction.

Trish Stratus initially studied at York University hoping to become what?

Trish Stratus studied biology and kinesiology at York University aiming to become a doctor, but a 1997 faculty strike pushed her into fitness modelling and then wrestling.

Whom did Lita beat for her first WWF Women's Championship in August 2000?

Stephanie McMahon lost the title to Lita in the main event of Raw on August 21, 2000, pinned after a moonsault with The Rock as guest referee.

Chyna was billed as 'The Ninth Wonder of the World' because who was already the eighth?

She was the first woman in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring.

Which title did Chyna hold twice, a first for a woman?

Chyna won the Intercontinental Championship from Jeff Jarrett at No Mercy 1999, the first woman to hold it, and was recognised as co-champion with Chris Jericho in January 2000.

Ronda Rousey won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in which sport?

Judo ran in the family: Ronda Rousey's mother, the first American to win a world judo title, used to wake her with armbars, the hold Rousey later made her finisher.

Who was the first wrestler to hold the WWE, WCW and ECW world championships?

Big Show won the WCW title in his first match there in 1995, was stripped of it a week later, and went on to win the WWF title in 1999 and ECW's in 2006.

Goldberg played college football as a defensive tackle for which school?

Georgia's Bulldogs had Goldberg at defensive tackle before the Atlanta Falcons did; Carolina took him in the 1995 expansion draft, then made him the first player the new team ever cut.

Whom did Goldberg lose to in his retirement match in July 2025?

Gunther kept his world title against Goldberg on July 12, 2025, then also beat John Cena and AJ Styles in their own retirement matches, earning the nickname 'Career Killer'.

Which WCW icon, long called the greatest wrestler never to work for WWE, finally debuted there in 2014?

Sting stayed away for 13 years after WWE bought WCW in 2001, then walked out on a WWE show in November 2014 and wrestled his first match there at WrestleMania 31 the following spring.

Half of Ric Flair's 16 WWE-recognized world title reigns came under which banner?

NWA title reigns make up eight of the 16 that WWE recognizes for Ric Flair, with six in WCW and two in the WWF; other counts run as high as 25, and Flair himself claims 21.

Ric Flair's second Hall of Fame induction, in 2012, was as a member of which group?

The Four Horsemen went in together in 2012, making Ric Flair the Hall's first two-time inductee; he was under contract to rival TNA, which let him attend in return for a WWE star appearing on one of its shows.

WWE claimed a record attendance of 101,763 for WrestleMania 32 at which venue?

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, hosted WrestleMania 32 in April 2016; WWE announced 101,763 fans, but independent reports put the crowd at 80,709.

Who won the 2018 WWE World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel?

Shane McMahon won the 2018 WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel without being entered in it: he replaced The Miz, ruled unable to compete, in the final and pinned Dolph Ziggler in under three minutes.

WrestleMania XII's main event was the WWF's first televised bout of what type?

The 60-minute Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII in Anaheim ended 0-0 before Shawn Michaels beat Bret Hart in sudden-death overtime for the WWF Championship in 1996.

Which two men met in the Intercontinental title ladder match at WrestleMania X?

Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels each claimed to be champion, because Michaels had been stripped of the title without losing it, so both belts hung above the ring and Ramon climbed to take the pair.

Whose managerial services did the Hardy Boyz win in the No Mercy 1999 ladder match?

Terri Runnels offered her services, plus $100,000, to the winners of her 'Terri Invitational Tournament'; the Hardy Boyz took the deciding ladder match by pulling down a bag of cash hung above the ring.

Which 1997 pay-per-view staged the first Hell in a Cell match?

Badd Blood: In Your House, in St. Louis on October 5, 1997, staged the first Hell in a Cell; Kane made his debut by attacking The Undertaker, his storyline brother, which handed Shawn Michaels the win.

Vince McMahon's XFL football league played its only season in 2001 with which TV partner?

NBC, which had lost its NFL rights in 1998, owned half of the XFL with the WWF and was its main broadcaster in 2001; the league folded after a single season.

Which WWE Studios film starred Kane as a hulking killer?

See No Evil, shot in Australia as the first major release from WWE's film studio, cast Kane as an axe-wielding killer who tears out his victims' eyes.

Which celebrity was the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame's celebrity wing in 2004?

Pete Rose, a three-time WrestleMania foil for Kane, opened the Hall of Fame's celebrity wing in 2004; William Perry, Bob Uecker and Drew Carey followed.

Who was the first woman inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame, in 1995?

The Fabulous Moolah went in in 1995 as the Hall's first woman; the 28-year title reign the WWF credits her with leaves out title changes along the way that the company does not recognize.

John Cena holds the all-time record for helping children through which charity?

Make-A-Wish has had John Cena grant more than 650 wishes since his first in 2002; when Guinness World Records checked in 2022, nobody else had reached 200.

John Cena first rapped on SmackDown in 2002 during which holiday-themed episode?

Halloween 2002 saw John Cena turn up on SmackDown dressed as Vanilla Ice and freestyle in a backstage skit; he kept the rapper act as his new persona.

Which rapper interfered to help John Cena win the main event of WrestleMania 41?

Travis Scott, at Cena's side since his heel turn in March 2025, pulled the referee out of the ring, letting Cena land a low blow and a belt shot on the champion to take the title.

WWE Network launched in the United States on what date?

WWE Network launched in the United States on February 24, 2014, at $9.99 a month, and its US content moved to Peacock in 2021.

Owen Hart died during which 1999 pay-per-view?

Owen Hart fell from the rafters of Kansas City's Kemper Arena during a Blue Blazer stunt entrance at Over the Edge on May 23, 1999, and died from his injuries.

Which two wrestlers have both held Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Championship?

Steve Austin and LA Knight both wore the belt: Ted DiBiase handed it to Austin, then called 'The Ringmaster', on his WWF arrival, and Knight won it in 2021 when the title was revived for a third time.

Mr. Perfect was the son of which wrestler?

Larry 'The Axe' Hennig was Curt Hennig's father; Curt's son Joe took the ring name Curtis Axel in WWE as a tribute to both men.

The Miz first found fame as a cast member of which MTV series in 2001?

Mike Mizanin appeared on The Real World: Back to New York in 2001, where he debuted 'The Miz' alter ego, then competed on several Real World/Road Rules Challenge seasons.

Edge first retired in 2011 because of what?

Neck injuries, diagnosed as cervical spinal stenosis, forced Edge to retire in April 2011 at the risk of paralysis; nine years later he came back as a surprise entrant in the 2020 Royal Rumble.

Jeff and Matt Hardy started out in what backyard promotion in Cameron, North Carolina?

The Trampoline Wrestling Federation had the teenage Hardys and their friends copying moves they saw on television; it was modernized in 1997 as OMEGA, the promotion they ran before joining the WWF.

Mark Henry, 'The World's Strongest Man', was a US Olympian in which sport?

Weightlifting took Mark Henry to the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and the publicity around the Atlanta Games brought him to the attention of WWE, which signed him that year.

What is the name of Drew McIntyre's running-kick finisher?

The Claymore, named after a Scottish sword, began by accident: his leather trousers were so tight during a big boot that he had to kick up his other leg, and he knocked himself out.

Walter Hahn, who set WWE's Intercontinental title record with a 666-day reign, is from which country?

Austria's Walter Hahn, born in Vienna, passed the Honky Tonk Man's 454-day mark in September 2023, a record that had stood since the 1980s, and held the belt for 666 days in all.

The Bloodline stable takes its name from which wrestling dynasty?

The Anoa'i family, the Samoan dynasty that also produced Yokozuna and Rikishi, supplies The Bloodline; in 2020 Roman Reigns beat a cousin in an 'I Quit' match that ended when the cousin gave up to stop Reigns attacking his twin brother.

Which bayou-dwelling cult stable did Windham Rotunda lead from 2013?

The Wyatt Family was the swamp cult Windham Rotunda built around his Bray Wyatt character after a first WWE run as Husky Harris sent him back to developmental; Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were its first followers.

Nikki Bella's 301-day reign was the longest in the history of which title?

The WWE Divas Championship was Nikki Bella's for 301 days, passing AJ Lee's 295-day record in her last week as champion in September 2015; the title was retired at WrestleMania 32 the next year.

Which woman won the first women's Elimination Chamber match in 2018?

Alexa Bliss kept her title against five challengers in the first women's Elimination Chamber in February 2018, shoving Sasha Banks into a pod and finishing her with a DDT.

Iyo Sky cashed in Money in the Bank at SummerSlam 2023 to win which title?

The WWE Women's Championship changed hands twice in minutes at SummerSlam 2023 in Detroit: Iyo Sky cashed in on a champion who had only just won the belt in a three-way match.

Who won her first WWE title, the Women's Tag Team Championship, alongside Bianca Belair in 2024?

Jade Cargill won it with Belair at Backlash France in May 2024; months later she was found attacked backstage, and Naomi, who took her place in the team, confessed to being the attacker.

YouTuber Logan Paul won which WWE title from Rey Mysterio in November 2023?

The United States Championship went to Logan Paul at Crown Jewel 2023 after he floored Rey Mysterio with brass knuckles; he kept it for 273 days.

Commentator Pat McAfee played in the NFL as a punter for which team?

The Indianapolis Colts drafted Pat McAfee in 2009 and he punted for them for eight seasons, then walked away at 29, a two-time Pro Bowler, to work in sports media.

Jerry 'The King' Lawler gained national fame in 1982 for a feud with which comedian?

Andy Kaufman took a slap from Jerry Lawler on Late Night with David Letterman in 1982, months after Lawler dropped him on his head in a Memphis match and sent him to hospital; it stayed secret for over a decade that the feud was staged.

Which WWE manager was a vocalist in The Gentrys, the band behind the 1965 hit 'Keep On Dancing'?

Jimmy Hart was one of The Gentrys' vocalists when 'Keep On Dancing' reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100; as 'The Mouth of the South' he went on to compose entrance themes for WWE wrestlers.

Manager Mr. Fuji was infamous for throwing what into wrestlers' eyes?

Salt was Mr. Fuji's hidden weapon: a handful thrown in Bret Hart's eyes at WrestleMania IX let his charge Yokozuna win the WWF title.

Wrestlers managed by 'The Brain' were collectively known as what?

The Heenan Family got its name because Bobby Heenan refused to call his wrestlers a stable, which he said was 'a place where you keep a bunch of fly-infested horses'.

Jim Ross, 'Good Ol' JR', is an enrolled citizen of which Native American nation?

Cherokee citizen Jim Ross, raised in Westville, Oklahoma, traces his family to ancestors who reached the state on the Trail of Tears.

WWE's occasional network specials of the 1980s took over the timeslot of which show?

Saturday Night Live gave up its slot now and then to Saturday Night's Main Event, produced by Vince McMahon with Dick Ebersol, who had just left his job running SNL.

WWE's first premium live event in Germany, in August 2024, was held in which city?

Bash in Berlin, at the Uber Arena on August 31, 2024, was WWE's first premium live event in Germany; CM Punk beat Drew McIntyre in a strap match.

WWE's Clash at the Castle in 2022, its first UK stadium show in 30 years, was held in which city?

Cardiff's Principality Stadium drew more than 62,000 for WWE's biggest UK show since 1992; Drew McIntyre lost the main event after a debuting Solo Sikoa pulled the referee out of the ring.

The WWE 2K video game series adopted the 2K name in 2013, starting with which title?

WWE 2K14, released in October 2013, was the first game under the 2K Sports banner after THQ's bankruptcy; the series had been PlayStation-exclusive until 2006.

Whom did Hulk Hogan pin at Madison Square Garden in January 1984 to win his first WWF title?

Hogan powered out of the Camel Clutch and pinned the Iron Sheik five minutes in; the Sheik later claimed Verne Gagne had offered him $100,000 to break Hogan's leg.

Kofi Kingston, WWE's first African-born world champion, comes from which country?

Kofi Kingston was born in Kumasi, Ghana, in 1981; WWE billed him as Jamaican on his 2008 debut before he dropped the accent in 2009 and won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.

Which billionaire helped shave Vince McMahon's head bald after their wrestlers met at WrestleMania 23?

Donald Trump backed Bobby Lashley in the 'Battle of the Billionaires', where the losing tycoon would be shaved bald. Minutes after wielding the clippers, Trump was floored by the guest referee.

Which heavyweight boxer was the ringside enforcer for the WrestleMania XIV main event in 1998?

Mike Tyson was first lined up as guest referee, but a brawl with Stone Cold Steve Austin on Raw saw the role changed to enforcer. The scuffle made headlines around the world.

Which vehicle did Stone Cold Steve Austin drive to ringside in 1998 before leaping off it at Mr. McMahon?

Austin commandeered a Zamboni backstage, rode the ice-resurfacing machine down the aisle and dove from the top of it into the ring. Police officers then led him away under arrest.

Which snack brand's 1990s commercials starred 'Macho Man' Randy Savage bellowing at viewers to 'snap into' one?

Slim Jim used Savage as its spokesman from 1993 to 2000, though the slogan was first meant for comedian Sam Kinison. The meat-stick plant closed on the very day Savage died in 2011.

Which WWF commentator and former wrestler, nicknamed 'The Body', was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998?

Jesse Ventura won as a Reform Party outsider, the only candidate that party has ever carried into a major office. He had already served four years as mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Which one-word chant did Stone Cold Steve Austin start in 2001 by interrupting other wrestlers mid-sentence?

"What?" began in August 2001 as a way to cut off wrestlers who were trying to speak. It was built to pull the crowd in, and fans were soon shouting it back at anyone holding a microphone.

Former WWE champion Batista became a film star playing which member of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy?

Drax kept Dave Bautista in Marvel films from 2014 to 2023, including two Avengers blockbusters. He went on to play Rabban in Dune and its sequel.

Which pop star managed Wendi Richter at the first WrestleMania during the WWF's 'Rock 'n' Wrestling' era?

Cyndi Lauper entered the WWF after wrestling manager Lou Albano appeared in her 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' video. Their feud put a women's title match live on MTV in July 1984.

The Undertaker, WWE's 'Deadman' for three decades, was announced as hailing from which location?

Death Valley was the home announced for the Deadman, a long way from Houston, Texas, where the man behind the character was born. His 2000 'American Badass' biker phase shelved the spooky act for a while.

Which Puerto Rican music star held WWE's 24/7 title and won a tag match at WrestleMania 37?

Bad Bunny teamed with Damian Priest to beat The Miz and John Morrison in his in-ring debut. Two years later he beat Priest himself in a street fight at Backlash in San Juan.

What name is given to the WWF's adult-oriented boom period that ran from late 1997 to 2002?

Attitude Era branding began in November 1997, trading the family-friendly 'good guys versus bad guys' formula for shock storylines. Ratings, merchandise sales and pay-per-view buys all hit record highs.

In wrestling slang, what role does a 'heel' play in a storyline?

A heel plays the villain, and only needs to be booed to be doing the job well; cheating and foreign objects are optional extras. In Mexico the same role is called a rudo.

Which weapon is most associated with Triple H, who made it his favourite equaliser in WWE feuds?

A sledgehammer became Triple H's weapon of choice, and he once used one to chase Randy Orton's whole stable, The Legacy, out of the arena.

What name did Mankind give the hand puppet he first made to cheer up a hospitalised Mr. McMahon?

Mr. Socko was a sweaty sock pulled straight off Mankind's own foot, a gag suggested by Al Snow and meant to be used once. It became an overnight sensation.

Which twin brothers, sons of Hall of Famer Rikishi, held a WWE tag team title for 622 days?

The Usos, Jimmy and Jey, were trained from childhood by their father and set that mark in their fifth run with the SmackDown tag belts. Jimmy is the older twin by nine minutes.

Which 2006 action movie from WWE Films gave John Cena his acting debut in the lead role?

The Marine was first offered to Randy Orton, who turned it down because of his own bad conduct discharge from the Marines. It went on to spawn five direct-to-video sequels.

Which 'Celtic Warrior' became the first Irish-born WWE Champion by winning a tables match in December 2009?

Sheamus took the title in the same year he reached WWE's main roster, and it was the first championship of any kind he had held there. The win came at a pay-per-view named TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs.

Which ECW-bred tag team was famous for the cry 'get the tables' before driving opponents through them?

The Dudley Boyz, storyline half-brothers Bubba Ray and D-Von, brought tables into the wrestling mainstream as weapons. They collected tag titles in the WWF, ECW, WCW, the NWA, TNA and New Japan.

Which giant from India, once in the Punjab Police, won WWE's World Heavyweight Championship in a 2007 battle royal?

The Great Khali outlasted 19 others for the vacant belt and became WWE's first Indian-born world champion. He had also been the first Indian wrestler the company ever signed, in 2006.

Which streaming service absorbed WWE Network in the United States in March 2021?

Peacock, owned by NBCUniversal, folded the wrestling library into its paid tier just ahead of WrestleMania 37. WWE's live events were later announced to be moving on to ESPN's streaming platform.

In which Florida city did WWE open its Performance Center training facility in July 2013?

Orlando's centre replaced the training base of Florida Championship Wrestling, and in 2020 it doubled as an audience-free television studio for Raw and SmackDown. A second branch opened in London in 2019.

Which city hosted WrestleMania VI in 1990, the first WrestleMania held outside the United States?

Toronto's SkyDome packed in an announced 67,678 fans, a record for the stadium at the time. The show took place on April Fools' Day.

SmackDown launched as a weekly show in 1999 on which night, six years before it moved to Fridays?

Thursday was the show's home until September 2005, and it went back there for a spell in 2015. From July 2016 it was broadcast live on Tuesdays instead.

Which reality competition series, launched in 2001, trained hopefuls and gave its winners a WWF contract?

Tough Enough crowned one man and one woman in its first season, Maven Huffman and Nidia Guenard. Both stayed with the company until the mid-2000s.

Which brawler, famous for carrying a length of two-by-four to the ring, won the first televised Royal Rumble match?

Jim Duggan entered at number 13 to a warm reception from the Canadian fans and threw out One Man Gang last to win in Hamilton, Ontario.

Which WWF title, first handed to Mankind as a taped-up broken belt, later ran under a '24/7 rule'?

The Hardcore Championship was meant as a backhanded compliment, but Mankind embraced the battered belt. Crash Holly later brought in the rule that it could change hands anywhere a referee was present.

What name did WWE give the arena setup that surrounded its ring with screens of virtual fans in 2020?

ThunderDome used nearly 1,000 LED boards to show rows of fans joining by videoconference, much like the NBA's bubble. It won a 'Virtual Fan Experience' prize at the 2020 SPORTEL Awards.

Which comedian became the first celebrity entrant in a Royal Rumble match in 2001, then eliminated himself?

Drew Carey tried a handshake and a cash bribe on a towering opponent before climbing out over the top rope to safety. A decade later the cameo earned him a WWE Hall of Fame induction.

Which NFL star faced Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event of WrestleMania XI in 1995?

Lawrence Taylor got the match after Bigelow shoved him as he sat at ringside during that year's Royal Rumble show. Salt-N-Pepa sang 'Whatta Man' before the bell.

Which UFC pioneer, billed as 'The World's Most Dangerous Man', won the WWF's King of the Ring in 1998?

Ken Shamrock had been the UFC's first Superfight Champion before he switched to scripted fights. His nickname came from an ABC News special about the world's most dangerous things.

Which five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion won WWE's 2006 King of the Ring and began acting like a monarch?

Booker T was WCW's last world champion and still held the belt when he signed with the WWF. As 'King Booker' he went on to win WWE's World Heavyweight Championship.

WrestleMania 2 came from three arenas on one day: Uniondale, suburban Chicago and which third city?

Los Angeles staged the final leg, topped by a steel cage title defence against King Kong Bundy. The Chicago leg featured a battle royal that mixed wrestlers with NFL players.

Which WWF commentator gives his name to the backstage spot where wrestlers wait just before making their entrance?

Gorilla Monsoon set up the spot himself and could often be found there during WWF shows late in his career. It became known as the 'Gorilla position' in his honour.

The earliest episodes of Monday Night Raw were broadcast from which small New York City venue?

Manhattan Center's Grand Ballroom gave Raw a small-theater feel, live each week, before the show went on the road for good. WWE returned there for the 25th-anniversary episode in 2018.

The WWF claimed its first Intercontinental Champion won a tournament in which city, though none ever took place?

Rio de Janeiro was the invented setting where the North American champion supposedly added a South American title. Merging the two gave the new belt its 'Intercontinental' name.

Who was recognized as the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion before losing to Bruno Sammartino in 48 seconds?

Buddy Rogers was simply handed the belt on Washington, D.C., television in April 1963. After the lightning-quick loss a month later, health problems limited him to very short matches.

Which reigning WWF Women's Champion dropped the title belt into a trash can on WCW Nitro in December 1995?

Alundra Blayze, known outside the WWF as Madusa, was blacklisted by the company for the next 20 years. At her eventual Hall of Fame induction, a trash can was wheeled on stage during her speech.

What name is given to the 1996 incident in which a clique of real-life friends broke character in the ring?

The Curtain Call saw the friends hug in the ring at Madison Square Garden. Only Triple H was punished, and the King of the Ring push planned for him went to Stone Cold Steve Austin instead.

Which WWF interviewer, better known for holding the microphone, sang the national anthem at the first WrestleMania?

Gene Okerlund belted out 'The Star-Spangled Banner' himself, and later sang 'Tutti Frutti' on The Wrestling Album. Despite the nickname 'Mean Gene', colleagues called him the friendliest person in the game.

In the WWF's 2001 Invasion storyline, WCW and ECW wrestlers merged under which group name?

The Alliance lost a 'winner take all' match that November, ending a storyline that began just after the WWF bought WCW. Stone Cold Steve Austin had defected to join the invaders.