WRESTLEMANIA
There was a time when WrestleMania didn't have a number and it made sense...And Thunderlips and Clubber Lang teamed up in the main event...
history in the making
The Brawl To End It All netted MTV its biggest ratings to date, spawning another show, The War To Settle The Score, in February 1985. Realising that Hulk Hogan was the WWF Champion and the supposed star of the show, he became the centre of attention for the newest MTV special, being upgraded from large-man-who-hits-on-victorious-female-athletes to large-man-who-defends-the-most-pure-thing-in-the-whole-of-the-world. That pure thing was, of course, rock 'n' roll. Even though Cyndi Lauper really made pop music.
Hogan then needed someone to battle in this struggle of good and evil, as The Fabulous Moolah just wasn't going to cut it. As mentioned in the last review, Jesse 'The Body' Ventura had essentially been forced into retirement due to illness, and another challenger was needed. Step up 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. Piper had been a top-level heel in every territory he had worked in over the previous decade, and he continued his awesome work in the WWF. The infamous coconut episode of Piper's Pit (amongst other great moments on the segment) had pushed him to another level, and as 1984 closed, he became the guy for Hogan to finally have a defining feud with.
Hogan then needed someone to battle in this struggle of good and evil, as The Fabulous Moolah just wasn't going to cut it. As mentioned in the last review, Jesse 'The Body' Ventura had essentially been forced into retirement due to illness, and another challenger was needed. Step up 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. Piper had been a top-level heel in every territory he had worked in over the previous decade, and he continued his awesome work in the WWF. The infamous coconut episode of Piper's Pit (amongst other great moments on the segment) had pushed him to another level, and as 1984 closed, he became the guy for Hogan to finally have a defining feud with.
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The match was set up on the final Madison Square Garden show on 1984, at which Capt. Lou Albano presented Cyndi Lauper with a gold record in recognition of her massive sales that year. Yes, that's right: Capt. Lou and Cyndi had buried the hatchet. In the storyline, this was because it had been discovered that Albano was suffering from extreme calcification to his brain, and this had been the cause of his despicable behaviour. Luckily, his doctor fixed the problem and Albano apologised to Lauper and was forgiven. (Outside of the ring, Albano's brother had died from multiple sclerosis, and Albano - with the help of Lauper - had been raising huge sums for a charity to aid in the research to battle the disease; in the days when kayfabe still existed, Albano couldn't be raising money for charity in his spare time and play a heel on TV, so he was switched. By removing calcium from his brain.)
Back to MSG, and Piper entered the ring during the ceremony to run down Lauper. During the inevitable brawl, Piper cracked the gold record over Albano's head, and pushed Lauper when she tried to defend David Wolff. Hulk Hogan made the save, and our feud was set. The rest of the story can be found on the mini-review of War To Settle The Score here on It's A Happening.
The War To Settle The Score's main event and subsequent run-ins set up the first WrestleMania, Vince McMahon's big gamble. To be held at Madison Square Garden and broadcast nationwide on closed-circuit television, the event would be headlined by the players in the MTV main event, as Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff teamed to face Hogan and Mr T, who at the time was one of the biggest names in TV due to The A-Team. McMahon had to pay T a lot of money, and he also invested in huge money appearances for countless other celebrities. The event was hyped as the biggest in wrestling history, and Hogan and T appeared all over the media to promote the show. It had to be a success or Vince - who had spent big money buying up talent and TV time slots - would be in serious trouble...
To help get the numbers he needed, McMahon stacked the rest of the card with some high-level matches: Andre The Giant had had his famous afro shorn by Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan's charges, Big John Studd and Ken Patera, and much like Samson was now beginning to physically deteriorate. Patera was otherwise engaged assaulting McDonald's restaurants, so Andre here was set to battle his fellow giant, Big John Studd, in a Bodyslam match. Studd claimed he couldn't be slammed, and $15,000 would be Andre's if he could do it. Retirement would also be Andre's if he couldn't...That evil foreigner, The Iron Sheik, had allied himself with another miscreant from abroad, Nikolai Volkoff, to form a team pairing America's two most hated outside forces in the mid-80s: Iran and the Soviet Union. They were set to challenge, appropriately, the young US Express team of Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham, or, the future IRS and Stalker, managed by a de-calcified Lou Albano...Wendi Richter had been altogether rather successful as Women's champion, but she had lost the title during the house show portion of The War To Settle The Score to the permanently-frowning Leilani Kai (under the stewardessship of the Fabulous Moolah) and was looking to regain it in her rematch. Her old accessory-buying advisor, Cyndi Lauper, was back to help her once again...
Back to MSG, and Piper entered the ring during the ceremony to run down Lauper. During the inevitable brawl, Piper cracked the gold record over Albano's head, and pushed Lauper when she tried to defend David Wolff. Hulk Hogan made the save, and our feud was set. The rest of the story can be found on the mini-review of War To Settle The Score here on It's A Happening.
The War To Settle The Score's main event and subsequent run-ins set up the first WrestleMania, Vince McMahon's big gamble. To be held at Madison Square Garden and broadcast nationwide on closed-circuit television, the event would be headlined by the players in the MTV main event, as Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff teamed to face Hogan and Mr T, who at the time was one of the biggest names in TV due to The A-Team. McMahon had to pay T a lot of money, and he also invested in huge money appearances for countless other celebrities. The event was hyped as the biggest in wrestling history, and Hogan and T appeared all over the media to promote the show. It had to be a success or Vince - who had spent big money buying up talent and TV time slots - would be in serious trouble...
To help get the numbers he needed, McMahon stacked the rest of the card with some high-level matches: Andre The Giant had had his famous afro shorn by Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan's charges, Big John Studd and Ken Patera, and much like Samson was now beginning to physically deteriorate. Patera was otherwise engaged assaulting McDonald's restaurants, so Andre here was set to battle his fellow giant, Big John Studd, in a Bodyslam match. Studd claimed he couldn't be slammed, and $15,000 would be Andre's if he could do it. Retirement would also be Andre's if he couldn't...That evil foreigner, The Iron Sheik, had allied himself with another miscreant from abroad, Nikolai Volkoff, to form a team pairing America's two most hated outside forces in the mid-80s: Iran and the Soviet Union. They were set to challenge, appropriately, the young US Express team of Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham, or, the future IRS and Stalker, managed by a de-calcified Lou Albano...Wendi Richter had been altogether rather successful as Women's champion, but she had lost the title during the house show portion of The War To Settle The Score to the permanently-frowning Leilani Kai (under the stewardessship of the Fabulous Moolah) and was looking to regain it in her rematch. Her old accessory-buying advisor, Cyndi Lauper, was back to help her once again...
it's a happening
Phil Collins' 'Easy Lover' originally introduced us to the entire card, but not anymore...More importantly than music rights disputes (or cheapness) however is the fact that Jesse 'The Body' Ventura is on commentary! Giving up on his in-ring comeback (mostly), Vince McMahon pitched the idea to Ventura of taking a place behind the announcing desk, with the expressed intention of still playing a heel. He's here with Gorilla Monsoon, giving us the first chance to sample the main WWF pay-per-view commentary team of the 1980s. It is indeed a happening...
Mean Gene Okerlund is the first to sing at WrestleMania, giving a half-decent rendition of the American National Anthem, setting in place a WrestleMania tradition which becomes odder every year as WWE tries to push the global reach and positioning of their company. "TNT's own" Lord Alfred Hayes is standing very awkwardly in the aisle way for tonight's proceeding, looking like a cardboard cut out that has been badly animated... |
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, to WrestleMania!
tito santana vs the executioner
The event opens with Tito Santana taking on The Executioner (Playboy Buddy Rose under a generic red mask, and no relation to Terry Gordy’s Executioner from 1996). Santana was in the middle of a mega-feud with Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine over the Intercontinental title that ran for nearly an entire year. WrestleMania and most of the early WWF pay-per-views didn't always feature feud-ending matches, as the house show circuit was still the main source of income and you didn't want to give away those big matches. Instead, Tito is on first to get the crowd going from the off. The Executioner fumbles his way through an interview and manages to get across that he will only go after Tito’s leg because Valentine has injured the leg, and that there is a reason that he will go after the leg. Which is probably the reason he had just given about Valentine injuring the leg.
Santana is certainly over with the MSG crowd, and dominates the match. True to his word, The Executioner does work over Tito’s leg two or three times, but every time Santana cuts him off after one shot. Gorilla does a good job of putting over how little they know about the 'mysterious' Executioner, speculating after a head-butt that perhaps that could be one of his special moves. The Executioner, being an 80s heel, goes to the top rope but is cut off and press slammed by Tito. Santana then tries a floppy running splash, but only meets knees. Tito finishes the match by kicking The Executioner through the ropes onto a ringside chair, slamming him back in, hitting his flying forearm and locking in a very popular figure-four leglock (Valentine’s finishing move) to win the first ever and consequently so far greatest match in WrestleMania history.
Santana is certainly over with the MSG crowd, and dominates the match. True to his word, The Executioner does work over Tito’s leg two or three times, but every time Santana cuts him off after one shot. Gorilla does a good job of putting over how little they know about the 'mysterious' Executioner, speculating after a head-butt that perhaps that could be one of his special moves. The Executioner, being an 80s heel, goes to the top rope but is cut off and press slammed by Tito. Santana then tries a floppy running splash, but only meets knees. Tito finishes the match by kicking The Executioner through the ropes onto a ringside chair, slamming him back in, hitting his flying forearm and locking in a very popular figure-four leglock (Valentine’s finishing move) to win the first ever and consequently so far greatest match in WrestleMania history.
S.D. SPECIAL DELIVERY JONES VS. KING KONG BUNDY (W/JIMMY HART)
S.D. 'Special Delivery' Jones had been a popular lower card guy in the WWF for years at this point, whereas the disturbingly hairless King Kong Bundy had debuted a few weeks earlier. Bundy had been successful in World Class (where he had wrestled Fritz Von Erich in the patriarch's retirement match) and Memphis before moving to New York. Jimmy Hart - the super-bumping Mouth of the South - had also recently arrived from the Memphis territory, where he had spent years feuding with Jerry 'The King' Lawler, prompting the awesome 'Whimpbusters' parody.
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This one is pretty quick. Bundy, a "mountain with legs and feet and arms" according to Gorilla, grabs a bear hug straight away, throws Jones - The Man Who Made Acronyms Pointless - into the corner, hits his Avalanche splash, then another splash onto a prone Jones for the win. The match is announced as a record nine seconds, but was actually twenty-four.
ricky steamboat vs. 'maniac' matt borne
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Ricky Steamboat is the latest new arrival to the WWF, having come in from the Mid-Atlantic area where he had participated in classic feuds and matches with the likes of the Brisco brothers and Ric Flair. According to his pre-match interview, he has come to the WWF to develop his meanness. Matt Borne, on the other hand, had been part of the Rat Pack with Ted DiBiase and Jim Duggan in Mid-South Wrestling, but had arrived in the WWF to mostly play the role of a jobber, this being the undoubted the highlight of his first stint.
Ricky is not a Dragon just yet. The two hook up, and Steamboat starts flying with a high leapfrog, and unleashing his trademark chops. The crowd start to get behind Steamboat as he takes control, whilst Jesse Ventura is still playing it rather nicely on the commentary, complementing Steamboat repeatedly. Borne takes over with a gut-wrench suplex and then a standard vertical one, before they trade punches (Borne) and chops (Steamboat). Ricky comes out of the exchange on top, and nails a back suplex and swinging neck breaker. A double chop to the throat sets Borne up for a flying body press, and Steamboat gets the three count in what is now The Best Match In WrestleMania History Thus Far. |
DAVID SAMMARTINO (W/BRUNO SAMMARTINO) VS. BRUTUS BEEFCAKE (W/'LUSCIOUS' JOHNNY VALIANT)
Brutus Beefcake had received a job with the WWF in 1984 as a result of his friendship with Hulk Hogan, but had been far from impressive. Paired up with 'Luscious' Johnny V as his manager, Beefcake was still receiving a singles push at this point. During the pre-match interview, Mean Gene asks Beefcake for comments, but the poor guy can't think of what to say...so he blows a raspberry. Yes, he blows a raspberry as a way to make us care about the next match. David Sammartino, meanwhile, was the son of Bruno, the biggest name in the WWWF/WWF before the arrival of Hulk Hogan. Bruno was against his son becoming a wrestler, but Vince McMahon could see the potential for more Bruno involvement with the product, which would guarantee big crowds in the North-East and pressed ahead with it, despite David clearly not being a chip of the old block.
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The crowd explode upon Bruno's arrival in a Bill Cosby/Noel Edmonds sweater, causing Gorilla to comment that "you can grab a hold of the electricity". The current dissipates rather quickly, however, as soon as the bell rings and Bruno settles down outside. The early part of the match sees Brutus strutting a lot and David trying to copy his father's stance a lot. They exchange some basic mat moves, but most of the match features either David or Brutus hitting a move, pausing for a long time to think about what to do next, hitting another move, then pausing again. This pattern is repeated for most of this, the second-longest match of the card, although it feels like it could be one of the longest matches of all time. The match finally springs to life when David is thrown outside and Johnny V slams him on the arena floor, prompting Bruno to sprint round the ring and defend his son, igniting that electricity again. Bruno unleashes on the heels in the ring, and they scarper. As this happens and the fans love every second of Bruno kicking ass, the referee announces that the match has been ruled a double-disqualification. The crowd lap up a little more Bruno as he leaves the ring, and we'll never see David on a major card again, his bad attitude and overbearing legacy meaning he never really made it in the WWF.
INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH: GREG 'THE HAMMER' VALENTINE (W/JIMMY HART) VS. THE JUNKYARD DOG
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Valentine had won the title from Tito Santana in September 1984 and taken on Jimmy Hart as his manager after Capt. Lou Albano had his shock therapy. As already mentioned, the Valentine-Santana feud was to be kept for the house show circuit, where it would prove the highlight of both men's WWF careers. The Junkyard Dog, meanwhile, had consistently sold out the Superdome in Louisiana during his Mid-South Wrestling run, and despite only being in the WWF a short while at this point, was already hugely over with the crowd. The pre-match interviews see The Hammer being animated, and JYD saying...something. He definitely mentioned bones.
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The crowd are up for this one, and JYD starts by pretending to punch Valentine a few times, resulting in the dumb heel flinching. Nothing works for Valentine at the beginning of the match, JYD being one step ahead of him at all times. Valentine gets a breather after absorbing some head-butts from JYD whilst on all fours, and comes back in to take control and work over the Dog's leg in preparation for the figure-four leg lock. Valentine drops a head-butt of his own to JYD's boobies, but is kicked away when he tries to lock in the figure-four. JYD hops around, but manages to nail some rights and more head-butts to put The Hammer in trouble. Jimmy Hart jumps up on the apron, is grabbed by JYD, but is then nailed accidentally by Valentine as he tries to make the save. JYD unloads with rights on Valentine, but the champion rakes the eyes, trips up JYD and then pins him with his feet on the ropes for the three count.
But wait! Tito Santana, who rivals Ricky Steamboat for pure, unadulterated babyfaceness, dashes in looking dashing in shirt and dress pants, and informs the ref that Valentine had cheated. Knowing Tito will never turn heel and thus can be completely trusted, the ref overrules his decision and beckons Valentine back in. The champion does not re-enter, though, and gets counted out as a result. The fans cheer the result loudly, even joining in with the ref's count. They applaud Tito's righteousness by chanting his name, and booing Valentine as he leaves celebrating keeping the Intercontinental title.
But wait! Tito Santana, who rivals Ricky Steamboat for pure, unadulterated babyfaceness, dashes in looking dashing in shirt and dress pants, and informs the ref that Valentine had cheated. Knowing Tito will never turn heel and thus can be completely trusted, the ref overrules his decision and beckons Valentine back in. The champion does not re-enter, though, and gets counted out as a result. The fans cheer the result loudly, even joining in with the ref's count. They applaud Tito's righteousness by chanting his name, and booing Valentine as he leaves celebrating keeping the Intercontinental title.
tag team championship: the us express (c) (w/capt. lou albano) vs. the iron sheik & nikolai volkoff (w/ 'classy' freddie blassie)
The US Express consisted of Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda. Windham, the son of Blackjack Mulligan, had already made a name for himself in Florida, and moved to the WWF to team with Syracuse University standout Mike Rotunda. After only two months in the company, they beat Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis to lift the tag titles under Lou Albano's tutelage on January 21, 1985. Coming out to Bruce Springsteen's 'Born In The USA', their patriotic gimmick made them the perfect opponents for Sheik and Volkoff, representing those axis of evil allies, Iran and the Soviet Union.
Backstage, "Gene Mean" is with The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and 'Classy' Freddie Blassie, who are pumped up for their title shot. Lou Albano has cut his hair and shaved his beard, or it was burned away in the electro-shock therapy. His new charges both tell us they are going straight to the ring, even though they are in their civilian clothes...
The tag team champions get the MSG backstage entrance, giving this a big match feel. Gorilla and Jesse put over the quickness and athleticism of the young champs, but wonder if that will be enough against the strength and experience of the challengers. In the early stages of the match, quickness has it, as Rotunda leapfrogs and hip tosses The Iron Sheik, and Windham comes in off the top rope with some blows. The evil foreigners are in disarray, Sheik dropkicking Volkoff by mistake. Heartwarmingly, Sheik apologises and Nikolai accepts his tag. Unfortunately, the All-American champions don't celebrate such a spirit, and instead work over Volkoff's left arm until a whip into Sheik's Iranian boot changes the tide. Sheik gets a few two counts after an elbow and a gut-wrench suplex, before Rotunda reverses a vertical suplex. Sheik still makes the tag first, and the crowd start a "USA!" chant as Nikolai beats down the future taxman.
Capt. Lou and Freddie Blassie, formerly best of friends, square off on the outside while Sheik puts Rotunda in an abdominal stretch. Rotunda hip tosses his way out of it, and makes the hot tag to Windham. Barry unleashes on Volkoff with some rights, followed by a dropkick and a very popular bulldog, but The Iron Sheik is in before he get the win. Everyone is now in the ring brawling, and as the referee gets Rotunda to leave the ring, Sheik grabs Blassie's cane and nails Windham in the back of the neck with a nasty-looking shot. Barry slumps to the mat and Volkoff makes the pin to win the match and claim the first title change in WrestleMania history. The fans are less than pleased with the skullduggery of the new champions.
Backstage, Gene Mean is with the new champs as Blassie tries to claim he never even had a cane with him. Iron Sheik tells us this proves that Iran and the Soviet Union are number one. Jointly, I guess, like they're tied on points, goal difference, goals scored, and any other way you could differentiate between them. Except for alphabetical order, because then Iran would be the definitive number one...
In the aisle way, the cut-out of Lord Alfred Hayes tries to explain the Andre The Giant-Big John Studd match to us, but gets a little confused. Mean Gene is with Studd and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, and they do a better job of explaining that Andre could win $15,000 if he slams Studd, but he won't and then he will have to retire.
Backstage, "Gene Mean" is with The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and 'Classy' Freddie Blassie, who are pumped up for their title shot. Lou Albano has cut his hair and shaved his beard, or it was burned away in the electro-shock therapy. His new charges both tell us they are going straight to the ring, even though they are in their civilian clothes...
The tag team champions get the MSG backstage entrance, giving this a big match feel. Gorilla and Jesse put over the quickness and athleticism of the young champs, but wonder if that will be enough against the strength and experience of the challengers. In the early stages of the match, quickness has it, as Rotunda leapfrogs and hip tosses The Iron Sheik, and Windham comes in off the top rope with some blows. The evil foreigners are in disarray, Sheik dropkicking Volkoff by mistake. Heartwarmingly, Sheik apologises and Nikolai accepts his tag. Unfortunately, the All-American champions don't celebrate such a spirit, and instead work over Volkoff's left arm until a whip into Sheik's Iranian boot changes the tide. Sheik gets a few two counts after an elbow and a gut-wrench suplex, before Rotunda reverses a vertical suplex. Sheik still makes the tag first, and the crowd start a "USA!" chant as Nikolai beats down the future taxman.
Capt. Lou and Freddie Blassie, formerly best of friends, square off on the outside while Sheik puts Rotunda in an abdominal stretch. Rotunda hip tosses his way out of it, and makes the hot tag to Windham. Barry unleashes on Volkoff with some rights, followed by a dropkick and a very popular bulldog, but The Iron Sheik is in before he get the win. Everyone is now in the ring brawling, and as the referee gets Rotunda to leave the ring, Sheik grabs Blassie's cane and nails Windham in the back of the neck with a nasty-looking shot. Barry slumps to the mat and Volkoff makes the pin to win the match and claim the first title change in WrestleMania history. The fans are less than pleased with the skullduggery of the new champions.
Backstage, Gene Mean is with the new champs as Blassie tries to claim he never even had a cane with him. Iron Sheik tells us this proves that Iran and the Soviet Union are number one. Jointly, I guess, like they're tied on points, goal difference, goals scored, and any other way you could differentiate between them. Except for alphabetical order, because then Iran would be the definitive number one...
In the aisle way, the cut-out of Lord Alfred Hayes tries to explain the Andre The Giant-Big John Studd match to us, but gets a little confused. Mean Gene is with Studd and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, and they do a better job of explaining that Andre could win $15,000 if he slams Studd, but he won't and then he will have to retire.
$15,000 slam match: andre the giant vs. big john studd (w/bobby 'the brain' heenan)
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This issue started with Big John Studd claiming he was the true and only giant in the WWF, despite clearly being smaller than Andre. Anyway, Andre took slight exception to this, but really got enraged when Studd, Ken Patera, and Heenan cut off his afro, "raping him...of his dignity", according to commentator Vince McMahon at the time.
Heenan had come to manage Studd after the man he was initially to lead, Jesse Ventura, suffered the blood clots on his lungs which ended his full-time career. Studd took his place against Hulk Hogan, and the spot as Heenan's first WWF charge. |
The rules here, that are never fully explained until near the end of the match, are that there are no pinfalls. Instead, you must try to slam your opponent. The whole match focuses on Andre trying to slam Studd, and they never really mention the potential of Studd doing the same to Andre, and instead he seems to be aiming for a time-limit expiration that will make him the winner and force Andre into retirement.
Fans start early chanting "Weasel!" at The Brain, who is still gesticulating with the fans when Studd jumps Andre before the bell rings. He punches the Giant in to the corner, but Andre fires back with big chops and then he boots Studd out of the ring. Studd stalls for a bit, but it does him no good as Andre intercepts him on his way back into the ring and chokes him out in full view of the referee, who doesn't count. Heenan, Ventura, and even Gorilla are in uproar, questioning the ref's lack of counting. Giving up on the choking, Andre instead rams his arse into Studd in the corner. This doesn't deter Studd, who tries to slam Andre, but is kneed away for the impertinence.
A long bear hug is then applied by Andre, as the fans chant "Slam! Slam!". Andre then proves his awesomeness by being the first person ever to drop his head and telegraph a backdrop, then catching the resultant kick from Studd. It was a trap! Andre gives Studd a good right hand for falling for it, too. Andre backs Studd back into a corner for a rest, and then kicks away at BJS' legs before, out of nowhere, he casually lifts up Studd and slams him to the mat for the win.
The crowd erupt as Andre takes the WWF bag full of money and starts throwing it out to the crowd, but Heenan leaps into the ring and, as Gorilla puts it, "absconds with the funds". The fans don't seem too bothered, and heartily cheer Andre's victory.
A long bear hug is then applied by Andre, as the fans chant "Slam! Slam!". Andre then proves his awesomeness by being the first person ever to drop his head and telegraph a backdrop, then catching the resultant kick from Studd. It was a trap! Andre gives Studd a good right hand for falling for it, too. Andre backs Studd back into a corner for a rest, and then kicks away at BJS' legs before, out of nowhere, he casually lifts up Studd and slams him to the mat for the win.
The crowd erupt as Andre takes the WWF bag full of money and starts throwing it out to the crowd, but Heenan leaps into the ring and, as Gorilla puts it, "absconds with the funds". The fans don't seem too bothered, and heartily cheer Andre's victory.
Backstage, Andre tells Mean Gene that he doesn't care about the money, but he's cut off before he can tell us what he does care about.
The Women's title match gets the semi-main slot, and Lord Al's cut-out gets a kiss from the Fabulous Moolah, prompting a wonderfully English "Good gracious!". Cyndi Lauper and Wendi Richter are determined to get the belt back, whilst Leilani Kai is going to "come backstage with [her] hand in Victor." Urgh, gross...
The Women's title match gets the semi-main slot, and Lord Al's cut-out gets a kiss from the Fabulous Moolah, prompting a wonderfully English "Good gracious!". Cyndi Lauper and Wendi Richter are determined to get the belt back, whilst Leilani Kai is going to "come backstage with [her] hand in Victor." Urgh, gross...
women's title match: Leilani Kai (c) (w/the fabulous moolah) vs. wendi richter (w/cyndi lauper)
Lauper talks smack to the villains as Richter does the Brock Lesnar hopping spot, prompting criticism from Jesse Ventura, who says she's expending valuable energy. Richter and Kai lock up to begin the match, then exchange hair-pulling. Richter demonstrates her strength by throwing Kai around, before locking in a hammerlock. Kai escapes with hair-assisted snap mares. The champion keeps using Richter's hair to drag the challenger down, but crosses her heart to the referee in her defence. Kai tries to choke Richter out, but is met with a leg scissors.
It gets a little clumsy with some confused tumbles by both women. Moolah grabs a chance to scratch at Richter's face. Lauper has to wade her way through the legions of photographers on the outside to get to Moolah and wipe her out with a towel. A big boot by Kai doesn't help her maintain control for long, as Richter hoists her up into position for an Airplane Spin, but instead just dumps her on the map. She gets a two count from a splash. Richter runs into Kai's knees, and nearly loses the match to Kai's backbreaker. Kai, however, goes up top, and Richter manages to (just about) roll through the resulting flying body press and get a three count to regain the title.
The fans are extremely pleased with the result, and Moolah flips out as Richter and Lauper iconically skip and dance around in celebration. After a delay, Mean Gene is backstage with the winning team. It turns out that Cyndi Lauper brought a towel as an equaliser, because Moolah is bigger than her...
It gets a little clumsy with some confused tumbles by both women. Moolah grabs a chance to scratch at Richter's face. Lauper has to wade her way through the legions of photographers on the outside to get to Moolah and wipe her out with a towel. A big boot by Kai doesn't help her maintain control for long, as Richter hoists her up into position for an Airplane Spin, but instead just dumps her on the map. She gets a two count from a splash. Richter runs into Kai's knees, and nearly loses the match to Kai's backbreaker. Kai, however, goes up top, and Richter manages to (just about) roll through the resulting flying body press and get a three count to regain the title.
The fans are extremely pleased with the result, and Moolah flips out as Richter and Lauper iconically skip and dance around in celebration. After a delay, Mean Gene is backstage with the winning team. It turns out that Cyndi Lauper brought a towel as an equaliser, because Moolah is bigger than her...
Here come the celebrities! Billy Martin: guest ring announcer (with The Fink mouthing words alongside him); Liberace: guest time keeper; Muhammad Ali: guest official (the crowd are super-pumped to see him); and, finally, Pat Patterson: guest referee!
The bagpipes hit, and here come the baddies. Roddy Piper looks wonderfully smug and unlikeable, and even jaws with Ali a little. The heroes get the backstage entrance, and MSG comes unglued for them. It's time for the main event!
The bagpipes hit, and here come the baddies. Roddy Piper looks wonderfully smug and unlikeable, and even jaws with Ali a little. The heroes get the backstage entrance, and MSG comes unglued for them. It's time for the main event!
Hulk Hogan & Mr T (w/Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka) vs. 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper & 'Mr Wonderful' Paul Orndorff (w/'Cowboy' 'Ace' Bob Orton)
Pat Patterson has to stop a fight breaking out before the bell even rings, and it's clear this is going to be pretty chaotic. Ali had originally been advertised as the guest referee, but a decision was made that he was not in the right condition to perform the task properly, and so Pat Patterson begins his tradition of getting a WrestleMania on-screen pay day. As Ali heads outside, Gorilla tries to get over the importance of the outside referee role, like he's trying to console a five-year-old who has been put in charge of half-time oranges because no one actually wants him to play in the game.
The heels hug each other as the crowd bellow "Hogan!" It looks like Hogan will start with Orndorff, but Piper wants in. Eventually he is tagged in, and Hogan seems rather pleased about it. Mr T, though, yells at Hulk from his corner, and begs to be tagged in. Hogan acquiesces, and the crowd are at fever pitch as T and Piper stare down, forehead to forehead. Piper slaps the actor, and gets one back in return. They exchange some more before Piper executes a go-behind take down and the two roll around on the mat until T escapes and the crowd chant his initial in approval. T gets caught in the heels' corner, and a brawl breaks out between everyone, prompting Ali to jump in and start throwing punches at the bad guys. Snuka, meanwhile, just perches on the top rope all alone and not necessary to the storyline here.
Piper and co. decide it's time for a break, and take a walk down the aisle to big heat. Patterson starts counting them out, but Hogan interrupts him before he can finish. Piper returns to the ring, and gets an atomic drop and double clothesline for his troubles. T excites the crowd by slamming Piper and hip tossing Orndorff. Hogan gives the big boot to Piper, which sends the Rowdy One to the outside. Mr Wonderful clothesline the Hulkster from behind, sending him out there, too. Piper takes advantage, lobbing a chair on Hogan. Ali interjects again, to prevent Orndorff from getting a shot in as well. The heels rake, kick, and punch Hogan, resulting in T jumping in, followed shortly after by Ali jumping up on the apron. Poor Pat Patterson has to get him back to the floor again, and the whole thing is becoming a little disjointed.
Hogan manages to make the hot tag to Mr T, but it very quickly becomes Orndorff taking his turn to roll around on the mat with T. Piper is in to lock a front face lock in, but T powers his way over to Hogan to make another hot tag. Hogan gives Piper and Orndorff a double noggin-knocker, but is caught in a back suplex by Orndorff. Orton then runs in, only to get a head-butt from Snuka, and all hell breaks loose. Orndorff puts Hogan in a full nelson, but Mr T intercepts Piper on his way to nail the WWF Champion. Orton is up top, begging Mr Wonderful to turn around. He duly does, but Hogan scoots out of the way and Ace nails Orndorff with the cast. The Hulkster makes the cover, and the good guys get the very, very popular win.
Piper knocks Patterson down in anger and stomps away with Orton in tow. Orndorff is being tended to by Mr T, but freaks out when he comes around. T offers his hand to Mr Wonderful, but awesome sportsman Hogan bats his partner's hand down.
Backstage, T keeps repeating that "it's rough in there", like he's been shell shocked. Hogan is turned on by a lot of stuff that happened out there...
Gorilla and Jesse wish us farewell, and the end credits roll...
The heels hug each other as the crowd bellow "Hogan!" It looks like Hogan will start with Orndorff, but Piper wants in. Eventually he is tagged in, and Hogan seems rather pleased about it. Mr T, though, yells at Hulk from his corner, and begs to be tagged in. Hogan acquiesces, and the crowd are at fever pitch as T and Piper stare down, forehead to forehead. Piper slaps the actor, and gets one back in return. They exchange some more before Piper executes a go-behind take down and the two roll around on the mat until T escapes and the crowd chant his initial in approval. T gets caught in the heels' corner, and a brawl breaks out between everyone, prompting Ali to jump in and start throwing punches at the bad guys. Snuka, meanwhile, just perches on the top rope all alone and not necessary to the storyline here.
Piper and co. decide it's time for a break, and take a walk down the aisle to big heat. Patterson starts counting them out, but Hogan interrupts him before he can finish. Piper returns to the ring, and gets an atomic drop and double clothesline for his troubles. T excites the crowd by slamming Piper and hip tossing Orndorff. Hogan gives the big boot to Piper, which sends the Rowdy One to the outside. Mr Wonderful clothesline the Hulkster from behind, sending him out there, too. Piper takes advantage, lobbing a chair on Hogan. Ali interjects again, to prevent Orndorff from getting a shot in as well. The heels rake, kick, and punch Hogan, resulting in T jumping in, followed shortly after by Ali jumping up on the apron. Poor Pat Patterson has to get him back to the floor again, and the whole thing is becoming a little disjointed.
Hogan manages to make the hot tag to Mr T, but it very quickly becomes Orndorff taking his turn to roll around on the mat with T. Piper is in to lock a front face lock in, but T powers his way over to Hogan to make another hot tag. Hogan gives Piper and Orndorff a double noggin-knocker, but is caught in a back suplex by Orndorff. Orton then runs in, only to get a head-butt from Snuka, and all hell breaks loose. Orndorff puts Hogan in a full nelson, but Mr T intercepts Piper on his way to nail the WWF Champion. Orton is up top, begging Mr Wonderful to turn around. He duly does, but Hogan scoots out of the way and Ace nails Orndorff with the cast. The Hulkster makes the cover, and the good guys get the very, very popular win.
Piper knocks Patterson down in anger and stomps away with Orton in tow. Orndorff is being tended to by Mr T, but freaks out when he comes around. T offers his hand to Mr Wonderful, but awesome sportsman Hogan bats his partner's hand down.
Backstage, T keeps repeating that "it's rough in there", like he's been shell shocked. Hogan is turned on by a lot of stuff that happened out there...
Gorilla and Jesse wish us farewell, and the end credits roll...
well, you know something, mean gene...
And WrestleMania was born...
The first was certainly not the best (well, it was at that point), but it did signify that the WWF was growing into something a little more than a pro wrestling territory. That it proved a financial success, with over a million people watching on closed-circuit, helped give the WWF the national credibility it had been building towards since the beginning of 1984. Only a few weeks later, the company would bring wrestling back to network television on NBC, a massive, massive deal.
On a side note, there were elements of WrestleMania that aren't as groundbreaking as you could be led to believe. The NWA had been experimenting with closed-circuit for its Starrcade events, which had begun in 1983; World Class Championship Wrestling had drawn huge crowds to Texas Stadium for its own super shows; celebrities had appeared all over North America, notably with the mainstream success of Andy Kauffman and his feud with Jerry Lawler in Memphis. What set WrestleMania apart and why it's still going today was the scale of the event. The NWA had tried closed-circuit locally in its strongest markets - WrestleMania was available in theatres all over America; Texas Stadium was an impressive venue, but Madison Square Garden was the most famous arena in the world; Andy Kauffman was popular, but he was not the mainstream superstar that Mr T was. Or that Cyndi Lauper was. Add to that list Muhammad Ali, Billy Wright and Liberace, and you get the idea: WrestleMania was huge. It felt momentous that first year, and still carries that gravitas about itself decades later.
The tag team main event here on the inaugural show was given extra weight with the additions of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka in the corner of Hogan and Mr T, and Bob Orton seconding Piper and Orndorff. The celebrities were all lined up to play a role in the match, too, whether it be as ring announcer, timekeeper, or ringside enforcer, but despite all these potential distractions, Hogan and Piper were able to keep the focus on the match, and the inevitable interference of all concerned was kept for the finish.
In terms of the action, none of the matches were classics, but most of them provided some entertainment, and enough of historical note happened to make it seem important. Two title changes on one card was rare at the time. The tag team title match was short but decent, and The US Express had plenty of babyface fire despite losing. The Women's title match was a little sloppy in places, but the crowd were still invested in the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection storyline and were happy to see Richter regain the title.
The rest of the undercard didn't feature anything spectacular - Tito Santana and Ricky Steamboat looked good in their matches, King Kong Bundy was being put over well as the new monster heel, and Greg Valentine was still in his prime and looking engaged. Brutus Beefcake and David Sammartino both didn't look like they were going to make it, and had an overly long and very tedious bout (so far the worst in WrestleMania history) but Vince McMahon wasn't prepared to give up on one of them...
As for the main event, the match that encouraged those million-plus to go to the theatre, it was an enjoyable mess, and probably the match of the night. The crowd were hugely involved in it, even though the action often was difficult to follow. Roddy Piper is very clear now about how much he disliked Mr T and the idea of him in a main event of a wrestling show, but the idea worked, and T, as the star of one of the most popular shows on television, was partly responsible for the massive financial success of the show. Muhammad Ali, meanwhile, disrupted the match on several occasions, and Pat Patterson's reflections on the match might reveal why.
Most importantly, though, Hulk Hogan looked like a star, and the MSG crowd loved every second of him being out there. This was the key, one that has not always been considered as important in subsequent uses of celebrities. No doubt, a major mainstream star can bring with them a fan base that usually would not watch wrestling. What they need to become regular viewers, however, is something or someone to hook them when they tune in. Mr T worked because his A-Team fans watched WrestleMania and liked Hulk Hogan; the same occurred 13 years later when Mike Tyson brought spectators to WrestleMania XIV and they took to Steve Austin. Lawrence Taylor brought some NFL fans to WrestleMania XI, but they weren't as taken with Diesel and the New Generation. In Hogan, the WWF had found the man to lead them onto network television, and he didn't seem out of place partaking in the mainstream activities he was now involved in. NBC, here we come...
The first was certainly not the best (well, it was at that point), but it did signify that the WWF was growing into something a little more than a pro wrestling territory. That it proved a financial success, with over a million people watching on closed-circuit, helped give the WWF the national credibility it had been building towards since the beginning of 1984. Only a few weeks later, the company would bring wrestling back to network television on NBC, a massive, massive deal.
On a side note, there were elements of WrestleMania that aren't as groundbreaking as you could be led to believe. The NWA had been experimenting with closed-circuit for its Starrcade events, which had begun in 1983; World Class Championship Wrestling had drawn huge crowds to Texas Stadium for its own super shows; celebrities had appeared all over North America, notably with the mainstream success of Andy Kauffman and his feud with Jerry Lawler in Memphis. What set WrestleMania apart and why it's still going today was the scale of the event. The NWA had tried closed-circuit locally in its strongest markets - WrestleMania was available in theatres all over America; Texas Stadium was an impressive venue, but Madison Square Garden was the most famous arena in the world; Andy Kauffman was popular, but he was not the mainstream superstar that Mr T was. Or that Cyndi Lauper was. Add to that list Muhammad Ali, Billy Wright and Liberace, and you get the idea: WrestleMania was huge. It felt momentous that first year, and still carries that gravitas about itself decades later.
The tag team main event here on the inaugural show was given extra weight with the additions of Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka in the corner of Hogan and Mr T, and Bob Orton seconding Piper and Orndorff. The celebrities were all lined up to play a role in the match, too, whether it be as ring announcer, timekeeper, or ringside enforcer, but despite all these potential distractions, Hogan and Piper were able to keep the focus on the match, and the inevitable interference of all concerned was kept for the finish.
In terms of the action, none of the matches were classics, but most of them provided some entertainment, and enough of historical note happened to make it seem important. Two title changes on one card was rare at the time. The tag team title match was short but decent, and The US Express had plenty of babyface fire despite losing. The Women's title match was a little sloppy in places, but the crowd were still invested in the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection storyline and were happy to see Richter regain the title.
The rest of the undercard didn't feature anything spectacular - Tito Santana and Ricky Steamboat looked good in their matches, King Kong Bundy was being put over well as the new monster heel, and Greg Valentine was still in his prime and looking engaged. Brutus Beefcake and David Sammartino both didn't look like they were going to make it, and had an overly long and very tedious bout (so far the worst in WrestleMania history) but Vince McMahon wasn't prepared to give up on one of them...
As for the main event, the match that encouraged those million-plus to go to the theatre, it was an enjoyable mess, and probably the match of the night. The crowd were hugely involved in it, even though the action often was difficult to follow. Roddy Piper is very clear now about how much he disliked Mr T and the idea of him in a main event of a wrestling show, but the idea worked, and T, as the star of one of the most popular shows on television, was partly responsible for the massive financial success of the show. Muhammad Ali, meanwhile, disrupted the match on several occasions, and Pat Patterson's reflections on the match might reveal why.
Most importantly, though, Hulk Hogan looked like a star, and the MSG crowd loved every second of him being out there. This was the key, one that has not always been considered as important in subsequent uses of celebrities. No doubt, a major mainstream star can bring with them a fan base that usually would not watch wrestling. What they need to become regular viewers, however, is something or someone to hook them when they tune in. Mr T worked because his A-Team fans watched WrestleMania and liked Hulk Hogan; the same occurred 13 years later when Mike Tyson brought spectators to WrestleMania XIV and they took to Steve Austin. Lawrence Taylor brought some NFL fans to WrestleMania XI, but they weren't as taken with Diesel and the New Generation. In Hogan, the WWF had found the man to lead them onto network television, and he didn't seem out of place partaking in the mainstream activities he was now involved in. NBC, here we come...