WrestleMania 22: 7 superstars who remain with WWE
The WWE Universe is currently gearing up for WrestleMania 37 next weekend. The show will be a two-night extravaganza showcasing some of the best wrestlers in the world at present.
While this year's WrestleMania looks like a stacked affair already, 15 years ago today WWE presented WrestleMania 22 live from Chicago, Illinois. The show was main evented by John Cena and Triple H for the WWE Championship over on RAW, and Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, and Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship over on SmackDown.
WrestleMania 22 showcased some of the best WWE matches of all time and included some impressive talent, so 15 years on, how many of these stars remain contracted to WWE?
The following list looks at the seven WWE stars who have stood the test of time, as well as two stars who are also part of this year's WrestleMania.
#7. Mickie James made her WWE WrestleMania debut back in 2006
Mickie James debuted in WWE back in 2005 and was entered into a stalker storyline with Women's Champion Trish Stratus. James was able to push this storyline through until April 2006 when she took on the WWE Hall of Famer at her first WrestleMania event.
James won the Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22 in what was seen as a passing of the torch moment, before going on to win the title four more times in her career.
James was released from WWE back in 2010 and then spent several years working for other companies outside of WWE, including Impact Wrestling. The former champion returned to WWE in 2016 at NXT Takeover: Toronto before signing a contract with the company which has kept her as part of the active roster.
#6. Shelton Benjamin competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22
The Money In The Bank Match made its debut at WrestleMania 21. One year later, the second incarnation took place at WrestleMania 22. It was Rob Van Dam who walked out victorious and later sparked the revival of ECW, but he was in a match with some talented WWE stars.
Shelton Benjamin was one of the men who was part of the match and came up short as RVD claimed the prize. Despite being seen as a potential star in WWE at that time, Benjamin was released from WWE back in 2010. He later returned in 2017.
Benjamin has been part of some interesting storylines recently as part of The Hurt Business.