This year will see the 30th staging of Wrestlemania, which is being held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on April 6.

The annual supershow has been the stage of many of the most memorable moments in the history of the company, and more are expected to occur in just over four weeks' time.

Below, Sports Mole takes a look back at the first six events that helped develop the pay-per-view into a global phenomenon.

Wrestlemania I

The creation of Wrestlemania came in response to Jim Crockett's Starrcade event that had started in 1983, with Vince McMahon hoping to better the efforts of his main business rival.

The first Wrestlemania took place on March 31, 1985 in front of 19,121 fans that had packed into Madison Square Garden in New York City to see Hulk Hogan and Mr T team up to face Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, with Muhammad Ali taking the responsibility of one of the guest referees.

Hogan's team got the win after he pinned Orndorff, while elsewhere on the card, Andre the Giant defeated Big John Studd in a $15,000 Body Slam challenge.

Wrestlemania II

Wrestlemania II took place a year later, with the event being staged over three venues in New York, Illinois and California respectively.

The main event in New York saw Mr T face Roddy Piper in a boxing match, with Piper being disqualified for a body slam, while the British Bulldogs defeated the Dream Team of Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake in Illinois to win the WWF tag team titles.

The Los Angeles main event saw Hulk Hogan defend the WWF title against King Kong Bundy inside a steel cage.

As it stands, this is the only Wrestlemania not to take place on a Sunday.

Wrestlemania III

Wrestlemania III will forever be the scene of one of the most iconic moments in professional wrestling history as Hulk Hogan body-slammed the 520-pound Andre the Giant in front of a crowd in excess of 93,000.

At the time, the slam at the Pontiac Silverdome reverberated around the world as Hogan conquered a man more than 200lbs heavier than himself to defend his WWF title in a match that was billed as the "biggest main event in sports entertainment".

Elsewhere on the card, Ricky Steamboat defeated Macho Man Randy Savage in what turned out to be a technical masterclass, while the Honky Tonk Man got the better of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts.

Wrestlemania IV

The fourth Wrestlemania is famous for holding a 14-man tournament to determine the next holder of the WWF title after it had been vacated by president Jack Tunney.

Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were regarded as two of the favourites for the gold, but they were both eliminated thanks to a double disqualification at the quarter-final stage.

That left former champion Ted DiBiase and Randy Savage to compete for the strap, with Savage, who had been joined at ringside by Hogan, coming out on top after a 10-minute encounter.

On the undercard, Bad News Brown won a 20-man battle royal, while the Ultimate Warrior recorded a dominant victory over Hercules.

Wrestlemania V

Wrestlemania V was the stage for Randy Savage's defence of the WWF title against Hulk Hogan after the Mega Powers had previously broken up as a result of a disagreement over Savage's wife, Miss Elizabeth.

Their feud came to a head in Atlantic City, as Hogan defied an elbow drop from the top rope from Savage to win the world title from the 'Macho Man'.

Rick Rude triumphed over the Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental belt on the undercard, while Jake Roberts beat Andre the Giant by disqualification.

Wrestlemania VI

The sixth Wrestlemania was the first to be staged outside of the United States, with the Skydome in Toronto hosting the mammoth showdown between Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior.

The match represented the first occasion that both the WWF and Intercontinental titles had been on the line, and it was the Warrior who emerged with the two belts after avoiding a leg drop from Hogan before delivering a big splash on his felled opponent.

Rick Rude ousted Jimmy Snuka in a singles contest on the undercard, while Ted DiBiase defended the Million Dollar Championship against Jake Roberts.