Looking back at WrestleMania XV, which descended on Philadelphia 25 years ago

At the height of what wrestling fans call “The Attitude Era,” one of the most popular generations in sports entertainment history, the then-World Wrestling Federation hosted its marquee event in Philadelphia on March 28, 1999.

So before WrestleMania 40 descends on the city — it takes place at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday and Sunday — let’s take a look back at the first time Philly hosted wrestling’s Super Bowl: WrestleMania XV.

The 15th installment of the annual spectacle was a sellout, packing just under 20,000 fans into the First Union Center, now the Wells Fargo Center, and raking in more than $1 million in ticket sales, which ranged from $35 in the nosebleeds to $400 ringside. They also added roughly 800,000 pay-per-view buys at $34.95 a pop.

The crowd resembled a rock concert, with fans decked out in their black “Austin 3:16″ T-shirts to the delight of the WWF, which counted hundreds of thousands in merchandise sales.

This year, with the event moving to the bigger outdoor stadium, attendance is expected to be over 70,000 fans per night. As for ticket prices, they’re all over the place, ranging from $200 all the way to $20,000, according to The Sporting News.

Fanfare around the event wasn’t like it is today, which includes a week of planned actives that lead up to a two-day extravaganza, but the event still made its presence known in one of wrestling’s top markets, which was home to a rabid fan base and the uber-violent promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).

They held a WrestleMania Rage Party — essentially a televised party show — the night before at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. A few thousand people paid $80 per ticket to see their favorite superstars and live music featuring artists like Big Punisher (Big Pun) and Isaac Hayes.

» READ MORE: Mike Chioda was one of WWE’s all-time refs. First, he had to score booze for Andre the Giant in Wildwood.

The Rock made an appearance at a Modell’s in Langhorne, and The Big Show made appearances at the Acme in Folsom and the Pep Boys in the Northeast.

And after the main event on Sunday night, the Home Shopping Network sold all variations of WWF merchandise.

“It’s fair to say that it looked nothing like WrestleMania of 2024,” said Larry Needle, executive director of PHL Sports, a division at the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

At the marquee event, Philly’s own Boyz II Men performed “America the Beautiful” to open the show, which was heavy on the melodrama and a little light on well-choreographed grappling. The roster included some of the biggest names of all time, including The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and The Undertaker.

It included a legit boxing match, which saw pro boxer Eric “Butterbean” Esch knock out wrestler Bart “The Hammer” Gunn in ugly fashion and in about 35 seconds.

In the “It Didn’t Age Well” category, the event staged the hanging of the Big Boss Man at the hands of the demonic Undertaker. And Pete Rose even made an appearance, albeit disguised as the San Diego Chicken.

It all culminated with Stone Cold cracking beers in celebration after defeating The Rock in the final bout of the evening. Now, 25 years later, The Rock will return to the main event on WrestleMania’s opening night, as he takes part in a tag-team match with Roman Reigns against Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Could Stone Cold make a return to the ring for a South Philly reunion?

» READ MORE: WrestleMania 40 in Philly: Your ultimate insider’s guide to stays, eats, and beats

Despite the hubbub, The Inquirer did not feature extensive coverage of the event. And not even the Daily News covered it extensively, even running a not-so-flattering column from Jill Porter, who attended the event.

She called WrestleMania “a temple of incivility.”

“It’s a safe place where you can be vulgar and sexist and hostile — in jest — without being sued, fired or labeled a Neanderthal,” she wrote.

Today, it’s a different story. The company, which rebranded as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002, has leaned more into a PG-rated product.

When it comes to hosting the event, a jam-packed week of fan-focused experiences precedes WrestleMania, almost like a Comic Con on steroids, rather than a handful of sporadic appearances capped off by a few big events.

Looking back, Needle said the magnitude of WrestleMania in 1999 pales in comparison to what it has become.

“It did not have anywhere near the significance from a tourism standpoint that the event has today,” he said. “It was really driven by the arena. We probably helped with a hotel-room block, and I’m guessing that was about the extent of it.”

Now, the city is expecting fans from 60 counties, and all 50 states, totaling around 250,000 people going through all of the events throughout the week.

“This has become one of the most coveted events for cities to host,” Needle said, “just based on that global fan base that WWE brings with it.”