10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE WrestleMania 20

March 14 marks the anniversary of WrestleMania XX, meaning it has been seventeen years since the night where it 'all begins again'.

The twentieth 'Mania really was a night where it felt like there was a change, as the long-underutilised Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit ended the evening as world champions of their respective brands, the two friends embracing in the ring as confetti fell and a sold-out Madison Square Garden cheered on in recognition and approval.

That emotional scene capped off what had been a very eventful card, a star-studded show befitting the occasion.

As with any major event, and especially WrestleMania, there was plenty happening not just in the ring but behind-the-scenes, too, and many of the stories going into the twentieth Showcase of the Immortals were as compelling, if not more so, than what WWE managed to script for television.

That's true as far as the build up to the show, the show itself and its aftermath.

To mark the occasion, enjoy these ten things about WrestleMania XX that you (maybe) didn't know, including tales of proposed returns, superstar walkouts and potential dream matches that were (at the very least) talked about...

10. It Was Molly Holly's Idea To Have Her Head Shaved

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WrestleMania XX was a truly stacked card, as WWE did everything they could to book it in a way that would get as many people as possible onto it.

After all, this was the historic twentieth WrestleMania, taking place in the World's Most Famous Arena and everyone wanted their moment on the show (not to mention the associated payday).

As such, there were several multi-man matches, including two four-team tag matches and a ten-man cruiserweight open.

In order to ensure that she would get on the bill, Molly Holly pitched that she would wrestle - and lose - a Hair versus Hair match with Women's Champion Victoria.

Molly said this about the process to In Your House Wrestling in 2013:

"I was told by the writing team that they were not going to have a Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania, and I was really hurt by that…so I just came up with an idea that I thought they couldn’t say no to, and so I pitched it. They said, 'OK, you can be on WrestleMania if you get your head shaved'. And I was like “Yes!”. So yeah, I was excited about it, it was my idea, they actually did it, and even though there wasn’t much of a storyline and people didn’t really love or hate me that much as a character at that time, I still was really happy to be able to do something memorable".

Prior to Mighty Molly's suggestion, the only women's match scheduled for the show was the tag team Playboy Evening Gown Match featuring Torrie Wilson, Sable, Miss Jackie and Stacy Keibler.

9. Jeff Hardy Return Was Discussed

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When he was released in April of 2003, Jeff Hardy lamented in post-WWE interviews how disappointing it was to be in attendance at Safeco Field for WrestleMania XIX yet not be on the card.

After all, his brother Matt was (defending the Cruiserweight Title against Rey Mysterio in the show's opener), but the younger Hardy was not, his stock having fallen due to poor performances and outside-the-ring issues.

Those issues - predominantly Jeff's refusal to attend drug rehab after failing two drug tests - led to him getting his pink slip, though WWE left the door open for a return.

That return could have, potentially, occurred at WrestleMania XX, as Jeff was discussed as a possible last-minute surprise for the Cruiserweight Title Open.

However, those plans were scrapped when it became apparent that The Charismatic Enigma still had no desire to attend rehab, the belief being that he was hard-headed and needed more time away to work on himself.

Jeff signed for TNA later in the year.

8. Randy Savage Lobbied For Return Match With Hulk Hogan

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Jeff Hardy wasn't the only somewhat improbable return that was discussed for the show.

Macho Man Randy Savage had been making headlines by lobbying for one more match with arch-rival Hulk Hogan, whom he had spent years goading. You only need to listen to Randy's 2003 rap album, Be a Man, to hear what he thought of the Hulkster at that time.

On second thoughts, don't listen to Randy Savage's rap album. It's just not worth it, even if you're listening ironically.

Anyway, whether the match was actually ever discussed internally is not known, but WWE's VP of Talent Relations Jim Ross did acknowledge the rumour during an appearance on the online call-in show Byte This!, stating that he wasn't interested in the bout and that they instead were focusing on the roster they had.

Savage and Hogan did meet in 2004, almost coming to blows backstage at TNA's Victory Road pay-per-view that November.

7. Howard Stern Was Asked To Make An Appearance

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WrestleMania is as much about spectacle and celebrity as it is wrestling, so it's not an eye-opener that Vince McMahon approached the New York-based shock jock Howard Stern about making an appearance at the show.

Having been asked to appear on big events numerous times in the past, Vince once again went to Stern to see if he would be interested in doing something at the Showcase of the Immortals.

According to Stern, however, the WWE writers couldn't come up with anything entertaining for him to do and he passed. Apparently, McMahon himself asked Howard what he wanted to do on the show, with Stern commenting that he doesn't sit around all day thinking about stuff to do on a wrestling show.

Further to that, the two sides were well apart on money, with Stern asking for a $1 million and Vince offering something between $5,000 and $10,000.

'Fartman' was quoted as saying he would need a lot more than that to "lower himself to do a wrestling event". Well, 'Baby Booey' to you too, Mr. Stern.

6. Ric Flair & Kurt Angle Worked The Show Hurt

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I know saying that wrestlers worked a show hurt is basically like saying the sky is blue, water wet etc., but this is a little different.

Because the injuries that Ric Flair and Kurt Angle went into the Grandaddy of Them All with were not your typical aches and pains. They were much more serious and, in another post-Wellness Policy time, could have disqualified them from competing altogether.

The Nature Boy's back and neck were knackered, meaning he didn't wrestle or bump much in the weeks leading up to the show. Not only that, but the injuries had also led to three of his fingers going numb.

The severity of his condition wasn't known in time for 'Mania, though he did have dye shot into his spine in order to give a better read once the show was over.

The Olympic Hero, on the other hand, was hampered by those pesky neck issues and he, too, was experiencing numbness in his hands.

Following his loss to Eddie Guerrero, Angle underwent neck surgery and didn't wrestle again for several months. In the meantime, he was given the SmackDown General Manager role to keep him active as a character.

You wouldn't know either man was suffering on the night, of course, as both men entered customarily excellent performances.

5. The Original Plan For Golberg Vs. Brock

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One of the most anticipated matches of the event went up in flames when it became apparent that both Goldberg and Brock Lesnar would be leaving the company immediately following WrestleMania XX.

Goldberg's contract was up and he publicly let it be known that he wasn't going to re-sign, while Brock decided to quit the company in the days before the show, citing burnout and a desire to play in the NFL.

Once the fans got wind of this, they sabotaged the clash of the titans, booing both men out of the building or else otherwise amusing themselves with various chants.

Shane McMahon, by the way, was among them.

For what it's worth, Da Man beat the Next Big Thing to end the train wreck. However, the original plan (before Lesnar informed management that he was quitting), was for Brock to smash through the former World Heavyweight Champion in 30 seconds, at least according to Brock's autobiography Death Clutch.

Vince McMahon didn't care about Goldberg, since he was on the way out, and wanted to make Brock look strong for his upcoming programme with The Undertaker, who returned on the show under his old Deadman guise.

Obviously plans changed when Lesnar gave notice and, since Vince was then less annoyed with big Bill, he got to go over.

4. A WrestleMania Of Firsts

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It may have been the twentieth WrestleMania in history, but 'Mania XX was still a night of firsts.

The first match on the show, for example, was the first time the United States Championship had ever been defended at WrestleMania. Big Show defended the title against John Cena.

When the Doctor of Thuganomics scored the pin he won his first title in WWE, too.

WrestleMania XX was also the first time the show was headlined by a triple-threat match. WrestleMania 2000 ended with a WWE Title fatal four-way, but this was the first three-way dance in the headline spot.

All other WrestleMania main events to that point had been singles contests, besides the first WrestleMania which was main evented by a tag match.

The finish to the main event gave us anothing first, as it was the first time in history that the WrestleMania main event had ended by submission, when Chris Benoit made Triple H tap out to the Cripper Crossface.

3. WWE Paid For Paul Bearer's Surgery

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When the decision was made to revive The Deadman person of The Undertaker, WWE (and 'Taker himself) felt as though they should pair him back up with former manager Paul Bearer as part of the presentation.

Bearer hadn't been seen on WWE television since he was working as the manager of Kane in 2000 and had moved on to other backstage roles, but was not currently with the company.

Sadly, Bearer had gained a significant amount of weight since he had been away from our screens and was at that point morbidly obese and suffering from severe health issues.

Bearer was so large and had become so depressed (which was also due to his wife's cancer diagnosis) that for a long time he refused to take WWE's calls.

Eventually, he responded to an email from Jim Ross that he would love to come back but his physical state wouldn't allow for it. Hearing about Bearer's plight, Vince McMahon authorised a contract with a $35,000 'signing bonus', enough to pay for the gastric bypass surgery he desperately needed to help save his life.

Bearer had the surgery on November 25, 2003, spent the next several months recovering and then returned as a surprise at WrestleMania XX.

In another Undertaker-related 'Mania XX tidbit, his druids on the night were played by members of the Massachusetts-based Chaotic Wrestling, including the future Kenny Dykstra, Darren Young and one half of the Heart Throbs and the Dicks tag teams.

2. The Main Event Was Going To Be A Ladder Match

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Despite being a stacked card comprising twelve whole matches, there were very few 'gimmicks' on display at WrestleMania XX.

The only real stipulation bout was the Playboy Evening Gown match, a short affair designed to co-promote Torrie Wilson and Sable's Playboy cover issue.

Besides that, every other match went down under standard wrestling rules.

WWE did toy with adding a stipulation to the World Heavyweight Title triple threat match, but ultimately opted against doing so. For a time, it seemed almost a lock that they were going to make it a Ladder Match, which would have been apt since it would be close to the tenth anniversary of the first televised one in WWE history and featured one of the participants in that bout (Shawn Michaels met Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Title in the match in question at WrestleMania X).

WWE's decision for not making it a Ladder Match was that they felt WrestleMania on its own was strong enough and it didn't need the extra it to sell the pay-per-view.

There was also talk of making the rematch at the following month's Backlash a Ladder Match, but that likewise never came to fruition.

1. Bret Hart Was In Talks To Attend

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Following Bret Hart's stroke in 2002, he and Vince McMahon began the healing process after the WWE Chairman called The Hitman in the hospital and gave him a peptalk.

While the wounds of Montreal and the Owen Hart tragedy years earlier still stung, both parties wanted to move on and put the past behind them.

A big thing for Bret was getting the opportunity to make one final appearance in front of a WWE crowd in order to give his career the proper sendoff it so rightfully deserved.

With this in mind, Vince and Bret tried to work out a situation where The Excellence of Execution could do it at WrestleMania XX.

They had been talking for a while and last spoke about it on February 20, 2004 according to the Wrestling Observer. It was during that meeting that Bret finally decided against being involved in the event, ending weeks of speculation about his potential participation.

Kurt Angle had spoken about his desire to wrestle Hart at 'Mania in the months before the show, to which Bret responded via his column in the Calgary Sun that the dream match appealed to him. Angle even assured Bret that he wouldn't have to do much and that Angle would take most of the bumps, but Bret declined since he wouldn't have been able to perform up to his own high standards due to his physical limitations.

While he declined to appear at WrestleMania XX, he did leave the possibility for a future WWE appearance open.

Hart was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.