411’s Countdown to WrestleMania 24: WrestleMania by the Numbers

Welcome one and all to this second installment of 411’s month-long countdown to the Big Dance, the night where the lights shine the brightest, the grandest stage, the cornerstone of the wrestling calendar, the place where it all begins again, the Showcase of the Immortals, THE GRANDADDY OF THEM ALL — WRESTLEMANIA 24!!!

Big kudos to Scott Slimmer for getting the ball rolling with our month-long countdown with his outstanding “WrestleMania Turning Points” column from yesterday morning.

I for one am SUPER pumped about this year’s show, as I’ll actually be there LIVE with my father and brother (not to mention my fiancée, who I’ll be spending the rest of the week with). This marks my second chance to see a WrestleMania event live (WM 20 at MSG), and my fourth time attending a live WWE pay-per-view (WM 20, SS ’05, CS ’07).

Since I’m number-dropping, however —

I thought it’d be a fun way to kickstart the 411 WrestleMania countdown if we all took a quick chance to look at some of the “numbers” behind each of the WrestleManias of the past. I’m not talking about live gate revenue, merchandise sales or anything like that (because as a rule, math sucks) — I’m talking about the storied (useless?) “trivia and tidbits” behind each of the major trends at ‘Manias past. You know, all of the fun (and ultimately meaningless) factoids that you can swap with your buddies while watching the big dance from your local neighborhood watering hole.

So join Mee as we go inside the numbers!

Fittingly, as we count down the days to the “Big Dance” ourselves, we’ll start this feature off by tracing past performers’ success as they too have navigated the home stretch down “The Road To WrestleMania.”

Royal Rumble Winners Who’ve Gone on to Win Championships at WrestleMania: ELEVEN.
Is “The Road to WrestleMania” Paved with Gold?

Yokozuna – won the 1993 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 9)
Bret Hart – co-won the 1994 Royal Rumble (with Lex Luger), then the WWF Title (WM 10)
Shawn Michaels – won the 1996 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 12)
Steve Austin – won the 1998 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 14)
Steve Austin – won the 2001 Royal Rumble, then the WWF Title (WM 17)
Triple H – won the 2002 Royal Rumble, then the Undisputed Title (WM 18)
Brock Lesnar – won the 2003 Royal Rumble, then the WWE Title (WM 19)
Chris Benoit – won the 2004 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 20)
Batista – won the 2005 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 21)
Rey Mysterio – won the 2006 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 22)
The Undertaker – won the 2007 Royal Rumble, then the World Title (WM 23)

Note: It’s no secret that the Royal Rumble winner usually fares well at the Big Dance, but the numbers behind this statistic give overwhelming proof of just how good that winner’s WrestleMania odds can be. Since the “winner receives a main event slot at WrestleMania” stipulation was introduced in 1993, eleven out of sixteen winners/co-winners of the Royal Rumble match have gone on to claim gold at WrestleMania (68.75%). Since 2001, ALL of the last seven winners of the Royal Rumble match have accomplished this feat.

In Other Words: If this statistic is any indicator, John Cena has just north of a 73% chance of winning in this year’s WrestleMania main event.

Newcomers to the “Big Dance” always generate their fair share of buzz in the weeks prior to WrestleMania, so here’s our chance to highlight those performers that will be eligible to make their WrestleMania debuts at this year’s supershow.

Current WWE Divas Eligible for WrestleMania Debuts in 2008: NINE.
The following female peformers have never yet competed in a televised WrestleMania match

Beth Phoenix (RAW)
Jillian (RAW)
Katie Lea (RAW)
Maria (RAW)

Kelly Kelly (ECW)
Layla El (ECW)
Lena Yada (ECW)

Cherry (SD!)
Michelle McCool (SD!)

Note: The lack of WrestleMania experience on the current WWE roster is a pretty strong indicator of two things. First, it tells us that average WrestleMania PPVs are usually home to only one (or in rare cases, two) womens’ matches each year. Second, it shows us that the average WWE Diva is very rarely with the company long enough to be featured in more than one or two high-profile, WrestleMania-worthy matches in her career. Even Trish Stratus, the WWE Diva with the most all-time WM matches in history, was only featured in four WrestleMania bouts during her entire career (going 2-2 in the process).

In Other Words: Beth Phoenix is in this year, as is Maria Kanellis. But as for the rest? Well, they’re stuck standing ringside in a “lumberjill” capacity. Unless there’s a last-minute diva battle royal added to the card (not gonna happen), you can probably expect to see many of these same names on next year’s list of divas who’ve yet to appear in a match of their own at the Big Dance (if they’re still employed, of course).

Current WWE Superstars Eligible for WrestleMania Debuts in 2008: TWENTY-FIVE.
The following in-ring performers have never yet competed in a televised WrestleMania match (not including pre-show / dark matches)

Brian Kendrick (RAW)
Cody Rhodes (RAW)
Robbie McAllister (RAW)
Rory McAllister (RAW)
Paul Birchill (RAW)
Paul London (RAW)
Santino Marella (RAW)
Snitsky (RAW)
Super Crazy (RAW)
Trevor Murdoch (RAW)

Colin Delaney (ECW)
Balls Mahoney (ECW)
John Morrison (ECW)
Kofi Kingston (ECW)
Mike Knox (ECW)
Stevie Richards (ECW)
The Miz (ECW)

Curt Hawkins (SD!)
Dave Taylor (SD!)
Deuce (SD!)
Domino (SD!)
Festus (SD!)
Jesse (SD!)
Jimmy Wang Yang (SD!)
Kenny Dykstra (SD!)
Zack Ryder (SD!)

Note: Of all of the WWE superstars eligible to make their WrestleMania debuts in 2007, the ECW brand is currently home to both the the shortest-WWE-tenured non-Mania performer (Colin Delaney, who at show time will be approaching nine weeks with the company) and LONGEST-WWE-tenured non-Mania performer (Stevie Richards, who at show time will be approaching nine *YEARS* with WWE. Though he’s managed at two separate WM’s in the past, he’s yet to compete in a match of his own on an actual televised portion of the WrestleMania card itself).

In Other Words: With “enhancement talent” abounding in these WrestleMania newcomer ranks, obviously not all of these performers will make the card. And it should come as no surprise that ECW, in particular, looks to be particularly underrepresented.

Next up, we’re taking a look at how celebrities (or is that “c”lebrities?) have fared in WrestleManias of yesteryear. For the sake of this column, we’ll be focusing only on those stars who had actual competitive roles — meaning those who’ve appeared as in-ring competitors, cornermen, or managers.

Celebrity Winners at WrestleMania: EIGHTEEN.

Cyndi Lauper served as a manager in a winning effort for Wendi Richter at WM 1.
Mr. T teamed with Hulk Hogan in a winning effort at WM 1.
Mr. T beat Roddy Piper in a boxing match at WM 2.
Joe Frazier served as a manager in a winning effort for Mr. T at WM 2.
Jimbo Covert (Chicago Bears) came up short against Andre the Giant in a battle royal at WM 2.
Harvey Martin (Dallas Cowboys) came up short against Andre the Giant in a battle royal at WM 2.
Ernie Holmes (Pittsburgh Steelers) came up short against Andre the Giant in a battle royal at WM 2.
Bill Fralic (Atlanta Falcons) came up short against Andre the Giant in a battle royal at WM 2.
Russ Francis (San Francisco 49ers) came up short against Andre the Giant in a battle royal at WM 2.
William “Refrigerator” Perry (Chicago Bears) came up short against Andre the Giant in a battle royal at WM 2.
Ozzy Osbourne served as a manager in a winning effort for The British Bulldogs at WM 2.
Alice Cooper served as a manager in a losing effort for Jake “The Snake” Roberts at WM 3.
Pamela Anderson served as a valet in a winning effort for Diesel at WM 11.
Jenny McCarthy served as a valet in a losing effort for Shawn Michaels at WM 11.
Lawrence Taylor (New York Giants) beat Bam Bam Bigelow at WM XI.
Ken Norton, Jr. (San Francisco 49ers) served as a cornerman in a winning effort for Lawrence Taylor at WM 11.
Carl Banks (Cleveland Browns) served as a cornerman in a winning effort for Lawrence Taylor at WM 11.
Rickey Jackson (San Francisco 49ers) served as a cornerman in a winning effort for Lawrence Taylor at WM 11.
Steve McMichael (NFL retiree / eventual wrestler) served as a cornerman in a winning effort for Lawrence Taylor at WM 11.
Chris Spielman (Detroit Lions) served as a cornerman in a winning effort for Lawrence Taylor at WM 11.
Reggie White (Green Bay Packers) served as a cornerman in a winning effort for Lawrence Taylor at WM 11.
Butterbean beat Bart Gunn by knockout in a (legit) boxing match at WM 15.
Ice Tserved as a cornerman in a winning effort for The Godfather & D-Lo Brown at WM 16.
Kitana Baker (Miller Light Cat Fight Girl) went to a no-contest against Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson at WM 19.
Tanya Ballinger (Miller Light Cat Fight Girl) went to a no-contest against Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson at WM 19.
Akebono beat The Big Show in a sumo wrestling match at WM 21.
Donald Trump served as a cornerman in a winning effort for Bobby Lashley at WM 23.

Note: Twenty seven celebrities (twenty six if you count Mr. T twice) have taken part in actual matches at WrestleMania either as valets, cornermen, managers, or in-ring participants. This does not include the countless celebrities who have also appeared as guest ring announcers, referees, interviewers, time keepers, or in other non-competitive roles of that nature (e.g. – Pete Rose).

Ignoring the outcome of the NFL/WWF battle royal at WrestleMania 2, every single celebrity to appear in a competitive role for a match at WrestleMania has emerged victorious except four: Alice Cooper (WM 3), The Miller Light Cat Fight Girls (no contest at WM 19), and Jenny McCarthy (valet for Shawn Michaels in his loss to Diesel at WM 11). However, it can be argued that since Jenny McCarthy actually left the ring with Diesel by night’s end, her allegiance had actually switched to the winner of the match before the final bell.

In Other Words: Celebrities don’t come to WrestleMania to lose. This doesn’t bode well for The Big Show in his match against Floyd Mayweather. ESPECIALLY if 50 Cent brings the entire G-Unit crew to stand in “Money’s” corner.

This next section is all about law-abidin’ babyfaces and rulebreakin’ baddies. Here, we break down the relative main event success rate of performers in each of these roles, as well as those many WrestleMania moments when fans were caught by surprise when a superstar showed their true colors and switched allegiances.

FACE Turns at WrestleMania: EIGHT.
Tracking the baddies who “saw the light” at The Grandaddy of Them All

Brutus Beefcake – left the Dream Team and helped Roddy Piper at WM 3
Andre the Giant – turned on Bobby Heenan at WM 6
Randy Savage – reunited with Miss Elizabeth at WM 7
Steve Austin – refused to submit to Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter at WM 13
Mike Tyson – knocked out dX’s Shawn Michaels and sided with Steve Austin at WM 14
The Big Show – turned on Vince McMahon after being disqualified at WM 15
Kane – was turned on by Chyna at WM 15

Hulk Hogan – turned face by fans in the Toronto Skydome against The Rock in WM 18.

Note: With eight babyface turns in 23 prior WrestleMania PPV events, fans can reasonably expect to see one rulebreaker to become a hero at WrestleMania at the rate of about once every three years or so (34.78%). But since a WrestleMania babyface turn hasn’t occured since 2002 (WM 18), that means fans have waited some six years — almost TWICE this amount — to see this phenomenon repeat itself.

In Other Words: Statistics indicate that WrestleMania is seriously due for a major babyface turn from a rule-breaker this year. But who? It’d certainly be interesting to see if WWE ever bothers to explain away the lingering question of Vince and Finlay’s “deal,” no? Now granted, Finlay is practically a babyface already (when he’s not competing on Smackdown!, of course), but ‘Mania could really cement him as an all-out “good guy” across WWE’s three brands.

HEEL Turns at WrestleMania: SIX.
Keeping tabs on the good guys who joined “the dark side” at the Big Dance

Rick Martel – walked out on Tito Santana during Strike Force match at WM 5
Curt Hennig – heelishly disqualified Lex Luger as guest referee at WM 10
Bret Hart – famed “double-turn” Sharpshooter finish vs. Steve Austin at WM 13
Triple H – reunited with Chyna at WM 15
Steve Austin – aligned with Vince McMahon to defeat The Rock at WM 17
Trish Stratus – swerved Chris Jericho to reveal her loyalty to Christian at WM 20

Note: Heel turns at WrestleMania PPVs of the past are even more of a rarity than their babyface counterpart, as the prevailing line of thought has (traditionally) been to “send the fans home happy” and use the WrestleMania card to blow off long-running storylines rather than compound them with a dastardly and unexpected twist. As such, WrestleMania heel turns occur just north of once every four years (26.09%). But since the last once occured some four years ago (WM 20), fans might just end up seeing something of this nature at WrestleMania 24.

In Other Words: It’s a longshot, but WWE historically pulls the triger on a heel turn just about once every four years at WrestleMania… meaning that we *could* be in store for a major heel turn at the Big Dance this year. But judging from the matches on this year’s card? I wouldn’t count on it. Michaels is your best bet — but there’s NO way he’s going to steal Ric Flair’s spotlight. Win, lose, or draw… I’ve gotta’ believe that the post-match of that contest should belong solely to The Nature Boy.

FACE Wins in WrestleMania Final Match/Main Events: TWENTY-ONE.
A look at who’s hand was raised as the show drew to a close

Hulk Hogan & Mr. T – defeated Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (WM 1)
Hulk Hogan – defeated King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match (WM 2)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Andre the Giant (WM 3)
“Macho Man” Randy Savage – defeated Ted DiBaise (WM 4)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Randy Savage (WM 5)
The Ultimate Warrior – defeated fellow fan-favorite Hulk Hogan (WM 6)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Sgt. Slaughter (WM 7)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Sid Justice by disqualification (WM 8)
Hulk Hogan – defeated Yokozuna after Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart (WM 9)
Bret Hart – defeated Yokozuna (WM 10)
Lawrence Talor – defeated Bam Bam Bigelow (WM 11)
Shawn Michaels – defeated fellow fan-favorite Bret Hart in an Iron Man Match (WM 12)
The Undertaker – defeated Psycho Sid (WM 13)
Steve Austin – defeated Shawn Michaels (WM 14)
Steve Austin – defeated The Rock (WM 15)
Triple H – defeated Chris Jericho (WM 18)
Brock Lesnar – defeated quasi-fan-favorite Kurt Angle (WM 19)
Chris Benoit – defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels (WM 20)
Batista – defeated Triple H (WM 21)
John Cena – defeated Triple H (WM 22)
John Cena – defeated fellow fan-favorite Shawn Michaels (WM 23)

Note: Triple H’s successful defense of the (then-)WWF Championship at WrestleMania 2000 (a.k.a. WM 16) was the first time in history that a heel had emerged victorious from a WrestleMania main event. Since then, it has only happened once — at the WrestleMania PPV the following year (WM 17) when Stone Cold Steve Austin turned heel and defeated The Rock thanks to the help of Vince McMahon. This means that on average, a whopping 91% of the last matches on a WrestleMania card have ended with a babyface emerging victorious.

In Other Words: If the Cena match goes on last, he and/or Triple H have got a GREAT chance of walking out victorious over Randy Orton. And even if Orton sneaks by his two scheduled opponents, there’s still a WrestleMania precedent (WM 9) that he could end up dropping the belt to a surprise babyface challenger (say, a Money in The Bank winner) by evening’s end. By this statistic, then, there’s actually only a 9% chance that Randy Orton will retain the WWE Title at this year’s WrestleMania pay-per-view.

And if EDGE manages to beat The Undertaker in the final bout of the evening, not only will he be besting a heel losing rate of 91%, but he’ll also be erasing the Dead Man’s whopping 100% WM success record in the process.

This leads us to the grandest prizes of them all — WWE’s top titles. For this section, we’ll trace the WrestleMania title history of each of the top championships on WWE’s three brands (ECW, Smackdown!, and RAW). And as an added bonus, we’ll also look at the combined success of top champs defending their belts at the Big Dance.

ECW Title Changes at WrestleMania: ZERO.

Note: Though this title was revived in 2006, it was not defended at last year’s WrestleMania PPV… despite the fact that the then-ECW-Champion, Bobby Lashley, was involved in a high-profile (though non-title) match on the show (Battle of the Billionaires vs. Umaga).

In Other Words: The ECW Title is more likely to be defended at WrestleMania than the Intercontinental title, but that’s about it. With no clear challenger in sight following a clean loss by CM Punk on this week’s ECW, it’s going to be a tall task to make a meaningful contest out of this championship in just two weeks’ time. For as solid as the Chavo/Punk rivalry has been (and it has!), there’s no indication that WWE has any faith in this particular belt to serve as a show selling point on its own merits.

WORLD Title Changes at WrestleMania: FOUR.
Tracing the WM lineage of Smackdown’s highest prize

Chris Benoit – defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WM 20
Batista – defeated Triple H at WM 21
Rey Mysterio – defeated Kurt Angle and Randy Orton at WM 22
The Undertaker – defeated Batista at WM 23

Note: Since the title’s inception in September, 2002, it has only been successfully retained at one WrestleMania PPV, when Triple H defeated Booker T (WM 19). This gives the title an average titleholder-retention rate of just 20%, tipping the odds heavily in favor of the challenger, and making it the current WWE prize most likely to change hands at any given WrestleMania PPV.

In Other Words: As if Edge’s odds weren’t bad enough when facing the Deadman, there’s a statistical trend towards a whopping 80% challenger success rate for folks chasing the Big Gold Belt at WrestleMania.

WWE Title Changes at WrestleMania: SIXTEEN.
Tracing the WM lineage of RAW’s highest prize

“Macho Man” Randy Savage – won a tournament for the vacant title at WM 4
Hulk Hogan – defeated Randy Savage at WM 5
The Ultimate Warrior – defeated Hulk Hogan at WM 6
Hulk Hogan – defeated Sgt. Slaughter at WM 7
“Macho Man” Randy Savage – defeated Ric Flair at WM 8
Yokozuna – defeated Bret Hart at WM 9
Hulk Hogan – defeated Yokozuna at WM 9
Bret Hart – defeated Yokozuna at WM 10
Shawn Michaels – defeated Bret Hart at WM 12
The Undertaker – defeated Sycho Sid at WM 13
Steve Austin – defeated Shawn Michaels at WM 14
Steve Austin – defeated The Rock at WM 15
Steve Autin – defeated The Rock at WM 17
Triple H – defeated Chris Jericho at WM 18
Brock Lesnar – defeated Kurt Angle at WM 19
John Cena – defeated JBL at WM 21

Note: Since WrestleMania’s inception in March, 1985, this title has been defended at every WrestleMania PPV but one (WM 1). Though it has successfully been defended on seven separate occassions at WrestleMania (WM 2, WM 3, WM 11, WM 16, WM 20, WM 22, WM 23), it has also changed hands a whopping sixteen times at WrestleMania PPV events. This means that on average, fans can expect to see the WWE Championship change hands and the challenger emerge victorious in just north of two out of every three WrestleMania contests (69.56%).

In Other Words: Even if Randy Orton weren’t a heel, this stat would STILL be working against him. The WWE title hasn’t changed hands at a WrestleMania in two consecutive years, and statistics show that this belt is long past due for a Big Dance switcheroo.

Successful Top-Tier Title Defenses at WrestleMania: 8
Including World, WWE, Undisputed and ECW Championship Matches

Hulk Hogan – retained the WWF Title against King Kong Bundy (WM 2)
Hulk Hogan – retained the WWF Title against Andre the Giant (WM 3)
Diesel – retained the WWF Title against Shawn Michaels (WM 11)
Triple H – retained the WWF Title in a four-way match (WM 16)
Triple H – retained the World Title against Booker T (WM 19)
Eddie Guerrero – retained the WWE Title against Kurt Angle (WM 20)
John Cena – retained the WWE Title against Triple H (WM 22)
John Cena – retained the WWE Title against Shawn Michaels (WM 23)

Note: In some twenty eight matches for “top titles” at WrestleMania PPV events in years past (World, WWE, Undisputed, and ECW titles), only eight of those matches saw top-tier championship belts leaving the evening around the waist of the same person who walked into the evening wearing the gold. By the numbers, this means that just north of 7% of all top-level champions leave WrestleMania wearing the same belt they entered the arena with just hours earlier.

In Other Words: Smart money is almost always on the challenger, ESPECIALLY if he’s a babyface competing in the last match of the night.

This is the part where legends are made — the individual WrestleMania accolades. In this section, you’ll find WrestleMania win/los records for each of WWE’s current crop of performers. In addition, we’ve got a ton of info on which stars have the strongest and weakest WrestleMania streaks to date, as well as some insight regarding which stars have *yet* to pick up a big win at the “Big Dance.”

Current WWE Performers with the MOST WrestleMania Experience
Ranked in order of most WrestleMania appearances to fewest

1. The Undertaker – has competed in 15 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
2. Shawn Michaels – has competed in 14 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
3. Triple H – has competed in 11 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
4. Kane – has competed in 9 separate WrestleMania PPV events.
5. JBL – has competed in 8 separate WrestleMania PPV events.

Note: Obviously this stat would lead one to believe that WrestleMania is certainly the place for the veterans to shine. Yet if you take a look at the overall WM win/loss rates for each WWE performer (below), it becomes pretty clear that most WM *appearances* does not always translate to most WM *WINS*.

In Other Words: Three out of five of WWE’s current crop of performers with the MOST WrestleMania appearances to their credit are well under the .500 mark. Triple H just barely cracks even, so only The Undertaker alone can claim “decades of destruction” at the Big Dance.

Current WWE Performers with STRONGEST WrestleMania Win/Loss Records
(Must have competed in 3 WrestleMania matches or more)

1. Undertaker – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 15-0 (100%)
2. John Cena – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 4-0 (100%)
3. Edge – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 5-1 (83%)
4. Batista – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-1 (66%)
Bob Holly – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-1 (66%)
5. Rey Mysterio – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-2 (50%)

Note: Though a paltry 2-2 record hardly seems impressive, Rey Mysterio’s 50% win/loss statistic actually ranks him higher than just about every other long-term WWE employee on The Night Where the Lights Shine the Brightest. Notably absent from this list are such longtime WWE main event fixtures as Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and others who have likewise been unable to amass so much as a 50% success rate at WrestleMania PPV events in years past.

In Other Words: Not only can one see from this stat that The Undertaker’s WrestleMania record is not likely to be beat, but they can also see why it’s such a no-brainer marketing ploy for each yearly event… as nobody even comes CLOSE to matching the guy’s longevity and success.

Current WWE Performers with WEAKEST WrestleMania Win/Loss Records
(Must have competed in 3 WrestleMania matches or more)

1. Jeff Hardy – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 0-4 (0%)
2. Vince McMahon – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 0-3 (0%)
3. Big Show – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-6 (14%)
4. Matt Hardy – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-5 (17%)
Ron Simmons – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-5 (17%)
5. JBL – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-6 (25%)
6. Randy Orton – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-3 (25%)
Ric Flair – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-3 (25%)
Shelton Benjamin – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 1-3 (25%)
7. Chris Jericho – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-5 (29%)
8. Mick Foley – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 2-3-1 (33%)
9. Shawn Michaels – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 5-9 (36%)
10. Kane – has amassed a WrestleMania win/loss record of 4-5 (44%)

Note: While a lot of criticism is often directed the way of WWE’s “old timer” crop of main eventers (think Triple H, Shawn Michaels, etc.) — it bears noting that a great deal of the performers who’ve been on a WWE roster for more than five years actually end up with some of the *worst* WrestleMania records in history. And while a fair amount of detractors like to point at WrestleMania as being little more than a showcase of the “same old, same old”… again, numbers indicate that performers with SHORTER tenures (Bill Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, or Bobby Lashley, for example) actually tend to fare better at The Big Dance than many a longtime WWE veteran.

In Other Words: Jeff Hardy and Shelton Benjamin are both known for their ladder match highspots at WrestleMania, yet neither man has actually been able to score a victory in that type of contest on the grandest stage of them all. With *BOTH* of those men entered in this year’s Money in the Bank ladder match, expect at least one of them to walk away with his unenviable losing streak intact.

Current WWE Performers with Unbeaten WrestleMania Streaks
Ranked from longest to shortest streak, based on number of wins

1. The Undertaker – has gone 15-0 in his fifteen WrestleMania appearances.
2. John Cena – has gone 4-0 in his four WrestleMania appearances.
3. Torrie Wilson – has gone 2-0 in her two WrestleMania appearances.
4. The Great Khali – has gone 1-0 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Mr. Kennedy – has gone 1-0 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
The Boogey Man – has gone 1-0 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Chuck Palumbo – has gone 1-0 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Melina – has gone 1-0 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Mickie James – has gone 1-0 in her one WrestleMania appearance.
Tommy Dreamer – has gone 1-0 in his one WrestleMania appearance.

Note: For the sake of this list, we’ve excluded one-off WrestleMania celebrity competitors (Akebono, for example).

In Other Words: The Undertaker is virtually untouchable, but if WWE is thinking long-term plans for a showdown of the unbeatens at next year’s WrestleMania, the only performer with a remote chance of rolling into the Big Dance with even a semi-impressive WM winning streak is John Cena (he’ll boast a 5-0 ‘Mania record if he can win this year).

Current WWE Performers with Winless WrestleMania Streaks
Ranked from longest to shortest streak, based on number of losses

1. Jeff Hardy – has gone 0-4 in his four WrestleMania appearances.
2. Vince McMahon – has gone 0-3 in his three WrestleMania appearances.
3. Finlay – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
Funaki – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
Mark Henry – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
Val Venis – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
William Regal – has gone 0-2 in his two WrestleMania appearances.
4. Ashley Massaro – has gone 0-1 in her one WrestleMania appearance.
Candice Michelle – has gone 0-1 in her one WrestleMania appearance.
CM Punk – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Carlito – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Elijah Burke – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Jamie Noble – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Kevin Thorne – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Lance Cade – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Nunzio – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
MVP – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Matt Striker – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Shannon Moore – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.
Umaga – has gone 0-1 in his one WrestleMania appearance.

Note: The most obvious (and unsettling) aspect of this particular stat is the seemingly inordinate amount of “up-and-comers” who’ve *yet* to score so much as their first win in a WrestleMania match. However, as the earlier analysis of the veteran streaks has shown, MANY a WWE performer (even the very most popular among them) has been unable to score more wins than losses at WrestleMania — with only a select few (one of whom is Bob Holly) ever even breaking the .500 mark.

In Other Words: As if the odds weren’t tilted heavily in his favor enough going into this year’s Money in the Bank ladder match, this stat makes it abundantly clear that Jeff Hardy is seriously due for a win.

Individual WrestleMania Win/Loss Records
WM records for each current in-ring male WWE performer (alphabetical)

Batista: 2-1
Big Daddy V: 1-1
Big Show: 1-6
Bob Holly: 2-1
Boogey Man: 1-0
Carlito: 0-1
Charlie Haas: 1-1
Chavo Guerrero: 1-1
Chris Jericho: 2-5
Chuck Palumbo: 1-0
CM Punk: 0-1
Edge: 5-1
Elijah Burke: 0-1
Finlay: 0-2
Funaki: 0-2
Great Khali: 1-0
Gregory Helms: 1-1
JBL: 2-6
Jamie Noble: 0-1
Jeff Hardy: 0-4
Jim Duggan: 2-1-1
John Cena: 4-0
Kane: 4-5
Kevin Thorne: 0-1
Lance Cade: 0-1
Lashley: 1-1
Nunzio: 0-1
Mark Henry: 0-2
Matt Hardy: 1-5
Matt Striker: 0-1
Mick Foley: 2-3-1
Mr. Kennedy: 1-0
MVP: 0-1
Randy Orton: 1-3
Rey Mysterio: 2-2
Ric Flair: 1-3
Ron Simmons: 1-5
Shannon Moore: 0-1
Shawn Michaels 5-9
Shelton Benjamin 1-3
Tommy Dreamer 1-0
Triple H: 5-6
Umaga: 0-1
Val Venis: 0-2
Victoria: 1-1
Vince McMahon: 0-3
William Regal 0-2

Diva WrestleMania Win/Loss Records
WM records for each current in-ring female WWE performer (alphabetical)

Ashley Massaro: 0-1
Candice Michelle: 0-1
Melina: 1-0
Mickie James: 1-0
Torrie Wilson: 2-0
Victoria: 1-1

Well, that’ll do it for Mee. Be sure to check out The MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks, my regularly scheduled wrestling news report column, which hits the pages of 411 each and every Friday morning. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the countdown featurettes the 411 staff will continue to present in the days and weeks to come as we get ever closer to this year’s Big Dance. For those of you who’ll be fortunate enough to see the show in person, lemme’ know, eh? I’ll be screaming my head off in Section 214!

(And yes, I do have three extra ticket$ for anyone looking to join in on the fun!)