Behind the Scenes at WrestleMania 33

In the 32 years since World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. staged the first WrestleMania, the company has seen its marquee production evolve from a singular early spring spectacle to one of more than a dozen annual feature events. But Mania remains WWE’s lodestar—the night when it pulls out all the stops to draw in new fans and wow casual and hardcore ones alike.

Lest you think that, decades in, WWE has run out of ways to top itself, WrestleMania 33 in Orlando featured the retirement of the Undertaker after 27 years with the company; a tag-team ladder match highlighted by the surprise return of the Hardy Boyz (the Wright brothers of the form, which involves scaling a ladder to secure title belts hanging from a hook, mid-ring); a six-motorbike police escort of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon down a 90-yard ramp to the ring; and staggering aerial feats throughout.