WrestleMania 21 - Background

Background

The main rivalry heading into WrestleMania on the Raw brand was between Triple H and Batista, with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. At New Year's Revolution, on January 9, Triple H won an Elimination Chamber match to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H won the match by last eliminating Randy Orton following outside interference from Evolution members Batista and Ric Flair. Three weeks later at the Royal Rumble, Triple H successfully defended the World title over Randy Orton at the same event where Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble match, by last eliminating John Cena, earning the right to participate in the main event of WrestleMania 21 against the champion of his choice. On the February 8 edition of Raw, Triple H defeated Edge to retain the World title due to Batista's interference. Afterwards, as Batista raised Triple H's hand and World Championship, Batista got a close look at the World Championship, then stared Triple H down, looking as if he was thinking about challenging Triple H for the World Championship. In an attempt to persuade Batista to challenge WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield rather than Triple H at WrestleMania, Triple H concocted a scheme to have Batista run over by a limousine resembling the one used by Layfield. Initially, Batista did not want help from Evolution and wanted to confront JBL by himself. Triple H insisted that Evolution accompany Batista anyway, saving him from the oncoming limousine. Batista became aware of the plot while eavesdropping on fellow Evolution members and signed a contract guaranteeing him a match with World Champion Triple H at WrestleMania, thus leaving Evolution and officially turning into a fan favorite. Batista pretended to sign with the SmackDown brand, giving Triple H and Flair the "thumbs up", but turned it into a "thumbs down" (alluding to the way Randy Orton was kicked out of Evolution after winning the world title at SummerSlam 2004) before attacking the pair. This led to Batista's departure from the stable.

The main feud heading into WrestleMania on the SmackDown brand was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield and John Cena, with the two battling over the WWE Championship. At No Way Out, Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown main event at WrestleMania. During the latter event, JBL successfully defended the WWE title against The Big Show in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match. As a result of Cena's win, he began a feud with John "Bradshaw" Layfield and his Cabinet. On the February 25 edition of SmackDown, Cena and The Big Show defeated JBL and Orlando Jordan. The following week, JBL cut a promo on Cena, and insulted him, while Cena defended his United States title against Jordan. Jordan won the match after the Basham Brothers distracted the referee, and JBL hit Cena with the WWE Championship belt. They then blew up Cena's customized design of the United States Championship, and replaced it with the original one. Later that night, Cena brought a steel lead pipe to the ring with him and ordered JBL to come out to the ring and fight him, only to have the SmackDown General Manager, Theodore Long make his way to the ring and inform Cena that he had to wait until WrestleMania to get his hands on JBL. Cena then gave the ultimatum for Long to be part of a solution or part of the problem. Cena then stated "Since you're not going to bring JBL out here, then you're part of then problem." Cena then nailed Teddy Long with an FU and was thrown out of the arena. During JBL's match that night, Cena returned and attacked The Cabinet. The next week, Long announced that if Cena laid a hand on JBL, apart from in matches, he would lose his WrestleMania match. In a Six-Man Tag Team match that night, John Cena and the WWE Tag Team Champions, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio defeated JBL and the Basham Brothers, but Cena had to stop himself from attacking JBL after the bell had rung. On a later edition of SmackDown!, Long clarified that if JBL physically provoked Cena, then Cena could retaliate. Cena then attempted to provoke JBL, by vandalising his limousine, and spray painting "FU" on JBL's shirt. On the last SmackDown! before WrestleMania, however, JBL interrupted Cena's match against Carlito and had Cena arrested for vandalism and, once Cena was handcuffed, JBL nailed him with a low blow and ended the show by leaving Cena laying defenseless.

A heavily promoted match for the event was an interpromotional match between SmackDown superstar Kurt Angle and Raw superstar Shawn Michaels. Their match stemmed from the Royal Rumble, the pay-per-view event two months prior to WrestleMania. At the Royal Rumble, Angle relentlessly attacked Shawn Michaels after Michaels had eliminated him from the Royal Rumble match. The next month at No Way Out, Angle lost a number one contenders match to John Cena, losing a spot in the SmackDown main event at WrestleMania. The next night on Raw, Michaels told SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long to inform Angle that he had challenged him to a match at WrestleMania. On the February 28 edition of Raw, after Michaels defeated Edge in a Street Fight, Angle attacked Michaels and accepted his challenge. On the next edition of SmackDown!, Michaels ambushed Angle in the ring, and the two of them brawled, until security broke it up. Angle claimed that he was better than Michaels, and said he would prove it by achieving everything that Michaels had, but doing it faster. He then won a ladder match, mocking Michaels match from WrestleMania X. He then challenged Marty Jannetty, Michaels former tag team partner to a match. He won after Jannetty tapped out. Angle also persuaded Michaels' former manager, Sensational Sherri to do a spoof of Michaels' theme song, "Sexy Boy", calling his version "Sexy Kurt". Michaels, however, interrupted and played a video highlighting all his accomplishments. When Sherri got emotional from watching the video, Angle put her in the Ankle Lock. Angle also interfered in Michaels' match against Muhammad Hassan on the last edition of Raw before the pay-per-view, which resulted in Michaels defeating Hassan by disqualification.

The other interpromotional match on the card was between Randy Orton and The Undertaker, with Orton representing Raw and Undertaker representing SmackDown. The feud first started on the March 7 edition of Raw when Orton challenged Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania billed as "Legend vs. Legend Killer" match. Orton had been inspired by WWE Hall of Fame member, "Superstar" Billy Graham, who encouraged him to "go where no wrestler has gone before". Three days later on SmackDown, Undertaker accepted Orton's challenge. On the March 14 edition of Raw, during Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" segment, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, attempted to give Orton advice about his match with Undertaker at WrestleMania, but received an RKO by Orton when Orton wasn't cooperating. On March 17, a contract signing for the match was scheduled to take place, and was attended by the SmackDown General Manager, Theodore Long, and Raw General Manager, Eric Bischoff. The Undertaker immediately signed the contract; however, before Orton signed the contract, he cut a promo on the Undertaker, stating that he has nothing but respect for him and then claimed that the legend of the Undertaker will become a myth when his 12–0 undefeated streak at WrestleMania, would soon be 12–1. Afterwords, he then slapped the Undertaker. Orton fled the ring after the Undertaker began to fill the arena with smoke, and didn't sign the contract. The next week on Raw, Orton claimed that his confidence was at an all-time high, despite what happened on SmackDown the week before. Shortly thereafter, Orton turned into a villain and furthered his Legend Killer gimmick by performing an RKO on Stacy Keibler, who was his girlfriend at the time. Orton taunted the Undertaker for the next couple weeks, but the Undertaker responded with taunts of his own, as he attacked other superstars. On the final SmackDown! before WrestleMania, Orton's father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, begged the Undertaker to have mercy on Orton. It ultimately proved to be a set-up, however, as Orton attacked the Undertaker and performed an RKO on him just to show an example of what could happen at WrestleMania when he faces the Undertaker.

Another match on the card was the Money in the Bank ladder match between Chris Jericho, Christian, Chris Benoit, Edge, Kane, and Shelton Benjamin. The idea for the Money in the Bank match was introduced by Jericho who proposed a six-man ladder match, for the event in which the winner would receive a contract for a World title match at the place and time of his choosing. Raw General Manager, Eric Bischoff, booked the match at WrestleMania 21 soon after.