page_title: WrestleMania XXVI
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: WrestleMania XXVI / Production / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: An attendance record setting 72,219 fans at the University of Phoenix Stadium for WrestleMania XXVI
context_page_description: WrestleMania XXVI was the 26th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, which took place on March 28, 2010, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This was the first WrestleMania since WrestleMania XI with a non-title match as a main event, the first WrestleMania to be held in the state of Arizona and the third to be held in an open-air venue, after WrestleMania IX and WrestleMania XXIV.
  WrestleMania XXVI was a joint-promotion event, with performers both from the Raw and SmackDown brands. The event's card consisted of eight matches, including three main matches. The first of these matches saw World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho defeat the 2010 Royal Rumble winner Edge to retain the title. The second was a singles match for the WWE Championship that saw John Cena defeat Batista to win the championship. The final match of the night was a no disqualification, no countout match, in which The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels to improve his undefeated WrestleMania streak to 18–0. Per the pre-match stipulation, Michaels was forced to retire.
context_section_description: WrestleMania is considered World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) flagship event, having first been held in 1985. It is the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April. It was the first of WWE's original four pay-per-views, which includes Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, dubbed the "Big Four". It has been described as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment. The event featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands.
  Global Spectrum, the University of Phoenix Stadium's operator, had worked in previous years with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to recruit the event to its venue. On January 18, 2008, Global Spectrum publicly announced its intention to host WrestleMania in 2010. The event gained media attention in the weeks prior when a photo of Wayne Gretzky, then head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, wearing a shirt promoting the event surfaced in the Swedish newspaper Expressen. A press conference, held on February 24, 2009 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, formally announced the event for Glendale, Arizona at the University of Phoenix Stadium; this event marked the first time a WrestleMania had taken place in the state of Arizona. Tickets for the event went on sale November 7, 2009 at 10:00am MST.
  The roof of the University of Phoenix Stadium was opened several times during the event, marking the third time in WrestleMania history after WrestleMania IX and XXIV that the event has been held in an open-air venue. As in the previous open-air events, a steel tarpaulin structure was placed over the ring, which was placed at the 50-yard line. Custom-built from Belgium, the tarpaulin held 30 tons of light and camera equipment, with much of the equipment shipped from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Over 1,000 lights were used, adapting to the decrease in sunlight as the show continued into the night. The entrance stage stood 8 feet (2.4 m) off the stadium floor and measured 120 feet (37 m) wide. In an interview with The Arizona Republic, production manager Brian Petree described the stage design as a "completely new design that hasn't been done anywhere and won't be done again", while production designer Jason Robinson discussed basing his stage design themes often on local flavors. The entrance ramp linking to the stage has been lined with cauldrons of fire, each at a temperature of 1,000 °F (538 °C). In addition, 400,000 individual pieces of pyrotechnic product have been launched 200 feet (61 m) into the open air after Robinson promised to introduce new types of pyrotechnics never used in a WWE show before. Pre-planning for the set-up began six months before the event, while the construction structures and equipment inside the stadium began two weeks before the event. It is estimated that 100 trucks were used to deliver equipment, in comparison to the 12 semi-trucks used in a regular WWE show.
  The official theme songs for the event were "I Made It" by Kevin Rudolf, "Be Yourself" by Audioslave, "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, and "The Show" by Since October. "Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down)" by Johnny Cash was also used to promote the Undertaker-Michaels match. Fantasia Barrino performed the annual rendition of "America the Beautiful" at the start of the show. And the commentators were Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker.
caption: An attendance record setting 72,219 fans at the University of Phoenix Stadium for WrestleMania XXVI
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