| WrestleMania I | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringHulk Hogan andMr. T | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | March 31, 1985 | ||
| City | New York City, New York | ||
| Venue | Madison Square Garden | ||
| Attendance | 19,121 | ||
| Tagline | The Greatest Wrestling Event of All Time! | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| WrestleMania chronology | |||
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WrestleMania, sequentially known asWrestleMania I, was a 1985professional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the inauguralWrestleMania that took place on March 31, 1985, atMadison Square Garden inNew York City, New York. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through aclosed-circuit television, making it the largest PPV showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time.[1]
The event consisted of nine professional wrestling matches. In the main event,Hulk Hogan andMr. T defeatedPaul Orndorff andRoddy Piper. Also,Wendi Richter (accompanied by managerCyndi Lauper) defeatedLeilani Kai to win theWWF Women's Championship, andNikolai Volkoff andThe Iron Sheik defeatedThe U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo andBarry Windham) to win theWWF Tag Team Championship. Celebrity guests included former heavyweightboxing championMuhammad Ali as referee, baseball player/managerBilly Martin as ring announcer, and musician-actorLiberace as timekeeper.
Retrospective reviews of WrestleMania I have been mixed, with critics generally ranking is as one of the most average WrestleManias in history. While the main event earned generally positive reviews, many of the undercard matches were negatively received. Despite this, it's success led toa follow-up the next year, and setting the stage for the longest-running professional wrestling event in history, with more than forty annual follow-ups.
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During the 1980s, theWorld Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) main competition in theprofessional wrestling industry was fromJim Crockett Promotions.Vince McMahon counteredJim Crockett's successfulStarrcade annual events, which began airing in 1983, by creating theWrestleMania franchise.[2] A rights agreement which Barry Diller, head ofUSA Network and co-owner ofParamount, pushed by 1983, also allowed for better access to programming atMadison Square Garden, including on any regionalpay television network.[3]
For the first WrestleMania, McMahon began cross-promoting withMTV, which aired two wrestling specials. The inaugural broadcast was entitledThe Brawl to End It All and aired on July 23, 1984, in which a match from a live Madison Square Garden broadcast was shown on MTV.Wendi Richter, allied withCyndi Lauper, defeatedThe Fabulous Moolah, backed byLou Albano, to win theWWF Women's Championship on the card.[4] At the second MTV broadcast, entitledThe War to Settle the Score on February 18, 1985,Leilani Kai, accompanied by Moolah, defeated Richter, once again accompanied by Lauper, to win the Women's Championship.[5] Aside from Lauper, other celebrities also appeared during the buildup to and at the event; most notably,Muhammad Ali,Liberace (withThe Rockettes), andMajor League Baseball managerBilly Martin all appeared during the main event.
WWF announcerGene Okerlund sangthe national anthem, whileGorilla Monsoon andJesse Ventura provided commentary. Okerlund also conducted interviews backstage, whileAlfred Hayes conducted interviews near the entrance to the locker room, right outside the ring.Howard Finkel served as the event's ring announcer. The opening theme for the event was the instrumental portion of thePhil Collins andPhilip Bailey hit "Easy Lover", while the closing theme for the credits was "Axel F" byHarold Faltermeyer. Celebrity guests in attendance includedBilly Martin,Cyndi Lauper,Mr. T,Muhammad Ali, andLiberace accompanied byThe Rockettes.[6][7]
The card consisted of nine matches that resulted from scripted storylines.[8] Three championships were defended at WrestleMania: the WWF Women's Championship,WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, and theWWF World Tag Team Championship.
Leading up to the event,Greg "The Hammer" Valentine had feuded withTito Santana over the Intercontinental Heavyweight belt. Valentine defeated Santana on September 24, 1984, for the championship.[9]Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham won the WWF Tag Team Championship three months before WrestleMania from the team ofAdrian Adonis andDick Murdoch.[10]
In the months leading up to the first WrestleMania, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper began a talk-show segment on WWF television entitled "Piper's Pit". On one episode of the show, Piper would hitJimmy Snuka over the head with acoconut after verbally berating him, leading to a heated feud between the two men. As part of the storyline, Piper recruited "Cowboy" Bob Orton to be his bodyguard. Some time later, during another episode of "Piper's Pit", Piper spoke out against the burgeoningRock 'n' Wrestling connection, which led to a confrontation with Hulk Hogan. In February 1985, the two men faced each other in a WWF Heavyweight Championship match atThe War to Settle the Score, where the reigning champion, Hogan, won by disqualification after interference by Paul Orndorff and Mr. T. Their ongoing fued led to their match at WrestleMania.[11]
As part of the promotion for the event, Hogan appeared on a talk show entitledHot Properties four days prior to WrestleMania, where he put hostRichard Belzer into a front chinlock. It was a move that cuts off the flow of blood to the brain, as a way to prove to Belzer and the audience just how real professional wrestling is. Belzer, however, fell to the floor unconscious and began to bleed profusely. His injury required eight stitches.[12] Belzer later sued Hogan for $5 million, but they eventually settled out of court.[13] The night before WrestleMania, Hogan and Mr. T hosted an episode ofSaturday Night Live to help promote the event.[14]
Gene Okerlund opened the event by singingthe national anthem. The originally intended singer, a celebrity guest that Okerlund and Vince McMahon refused to name, failed to appear.[15]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Gorilla Monsoon |
| Jesse Ventura | |
| Interviewer | Gene Okerlund |
| Lord Alfred Hayes | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Billy Martin(Main Event) | |
| Referees | Jack Lotz |
| Dick Kroll | |
| Joey Marella | |
| Pat Patterson | |
| Henry Terranova | |
| Special GuestTimekeeper | Liberace(Main Event) |
| Special Guest Outside Referee | Muhammad Ali(Main Event) |
| Special Guests | The Rockettes(Main Event) |
The opening match was between Tito Santana and The Executioner (Buddy Rose). Santana won the match by submission after applying afigure four leglock on The Executioner, which was a shot at current Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine, as the figure four was his finishing move.
Following the opening match,King Kong Bundy (accompanied byJimmy Hart) andSpecial Delivery Jones made their way to the ring. After crushing Jones against theturnbuckle and executing abig splash, Bundy won the match. The WWF's official time for the match is a then-record time of 9 seconds (a record since surpassed byThe Rock defeatingErick Rowan atWrestleMania 32),[16] although the match actually lasted 24 seconds.[17]
The next match was betweenRicky Steamboat andMatt Borne. Steamboat took the early advantage in the match-up, until Borne flipped him over and slammed him to the mat using abelly-to-belly suplex. After performing aflying crossbody, Steamboat pinned Borne for the win.
After the match ended,David Sammartino, accompanied by his fatherBruno Sammartino, andBrutus Beefcake, accompanied byJohnny Valiant, made their way to the ring. The action favoured both contestants, as each wrestler alternated having the advantage. After Beefcake threw David Sammartino out of the ring, Valiant lifted him and slammed him to the cement floor. He then pushed Sammartino back into the ring before being attacked by Bruno. A short while later, all four men began fighting in the ring, and the match ended in a no-contest.[16][18]
The first championship match of WrestleMania was betweenJunkyard Dog and the reigningWWF Intercontinental Heavyweight ChampionGreg Valentine, who was accompanied to the ring by his managerJimmy Hart. Junkyard Dog began the match in the offensive position, performingheadbutts and punches on Valentine. As the action went back and forth, Hart climbed on the ring apron, where Valentine accidentally hit him. Later, Valentine pinned Junkyard Dog with his feet on the ropes for leverage, which is an illegal maneuver. As a result, Tito Santana ran down to the ring and explained to the referee what had happened and the match was restarted. Junkyard Dog eventually won the match by count-out as Valentine failed to re-enter the ring. Valentine, however, kept his title as titles do not change hands through count-out.
The following match was for theWWF Tag Team Championship.Nikolai Volkoff andThe Iron Sheik, accompanied to the ring byFreddie Blassie, challenged the reigning champions,The U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo andBarry Windham), who were accompanied byLou Albano. The U.S. Express dominated the early part of the match until Volkoff and The Sheik began to gain the offensive advantage over Rotundo. Rotundo then tagged in Windham, who performed abulldog on The Sheik. After nearly being pinned, The Sheik hit Windham in the head with Blassie's cane as the referee had his back turned. After Volkoff got the pin, Volkoff and The Sheik were crowned as the new tag champions, becoming the first wrestlers to win a championship at WrestleMania.[18]
The next match on the card was a$15,000 Body Slam Challenge betweenAndré the Giant andBig John Studd, who was accompanied byBobby Heenan. The stipulation of the match was that André the Giant had to body slam Studd to win $15,000, and if he failed, he would be forced to retire. After beginning the match in the defensive position, André countered with chops and a headbutt. From then on, André controlled the match and after weakening Studd's knees with multiple kicks, André was able to lift Studd over his shoulders and execute a body slam to win the match. After André collected his prize money, he started throwing the money out to the audience. Heenan, however, grabbed the bag holding the remainder of the winnings and ran from the ringside. As a result of the match, André was able to continue his career and his WWF undefeated streak was unscathed.
After all the men had left ringside, it was time for theWWF Women's Championship match betweenWendi Richter, managed by singerCyndi Lauper, andLeilani Kai, managed by former championThe Fabulous Moolah. Shortly after the match began, Moolah grabbed Richter as she was outside on the floor, but Lauper saved her from an attack. Kai then performed a flying crossbody from the top rope, but Richter used Kai's momentum toroll-up Kai in a pinning position. With this pin, Richter became the new Women's Champion.[6]
The main event and last match of the night pittedHulk Hogan, the reigningWWF World Heavyweight Champion, andMr. T, accompanied byJimmy Snuka, against"Rowdy" Roddy Piper and"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, accompanied by"Cowboy" Bob Orton. ProfessionalboxerMuhammad Ali was thespecial guest referee (on the outside of the ring),New York Yankees managerBilly Martin was the guest ring announcer whileLiberace (accompanied byThe Rockettes) was the guest time keeper. First, Piper, Orndorff, and Orton made their way to the ring as drums and bagpipes played, causing the crowd to boo. Crowd favorites Hogan, Mr. T, and Snuka made their way to the ring next. The match began with Mr. T and Piper in the ring and the two traded blows. Midway through the match, all four men began brawling in the ring, and Muhammad Ali punched Piper in an attempt to restore order. After the match's order was restored, Orndorff and Piper had the offensive advantage. As Orndorff locked Hogan into afull nelson, Orton climbed the top rope to attempt to knock out Hogan. Instead, Orton mistakenly hit Orndorff, and Hogan pinned him to win the match. In frustration, Piper knocked out the in-ring official,Pat Patterson, before he and Orton retreated backstage leaving Orndorff alone in the ring with Hogan, Mr. T, and Snuka.[6][19]
The attendance at the event was 19,121.[16][7] In addition, the event was seen by over one million viewers throughclosed-circuit television,[16] making it the largest wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time.[7] A technical glitch ended the closed circuit broadcast early into the showing at theCivic Arena inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To appease angry fans who pelted the screen with garbage, WrestleMania was broadcast in its entirety on localABC affiliateWTAE-TV two weeks later.[20]
John Powell ofSlam! Wrestling rated the event as average, citing that it "wasn't the greatest". Despite his overall rating, he praised several moments, including Orton hitting Orndorff with his cast, King Kong Bundy's win, and André the Giant throwing the money into the crowd. Powell listed Mr. T wrestling as his least favorite moment of the pay-per-view, saying the main event match, in which Mr. T took part, was humorous despite its lack of technical wrestling.[7]Pro Wrestling Illustrated awarded the main event match its annualPWI Match of the Year honor. The event was included in a July 2007 special that aired on theMSG Network titled "The 50 Greatest Moments at Madison Square Garden", ranking at No. 30.[21]
In the December 2002 issue ofWrestling Digest, the main event match-up was listed as number five in the most memorable twenty-five matches of the past twenty-five years.[22] Echoing John Powell's thoughts, Kevin Eck ofWrestling Digest stated, "The match itself was far from a technical-wrestling classic, but it delivered in terms of entertaining the crowd."[22] In anotherWrestling Digest article, written by Keith Loria, the main event was ranked third in the top ten matches in WrestleMania history. In contrast to Powell, Loria believed that Mr. T "proved to be an adequate grappler".[23]
Several of the undercard matches received a more negative reception. Reviewing fortjrwrestling, John Canton rated the Body Slam Challenge between Big John Studd and Andre The Giant as a "Dud", stating it needed "to be two minutes tops" and noting how limited both men were.[24] Reviewing for411mania, Kevin Pantoja was mildly more positive, highlighting the "novelty of someone possibly body slamming Andre The Giant" and it's nature as "pure spectacle", but stated it had plenty of "plodding moments".[25]
Approximately three months after WrestleMania, on July 6, 1985, Greg Valentine lost the Intercontinental Championship back to Tito Santana in acage match.[26] At about the same time, Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik lost the WWF Tag Team Championship back to The U.S. Express.[27] They held the titles until August, when the team of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine, later known as the Dream Team, became the new champions.[27]On July 8, 1985,Don Muraco won the inauguralKing of The Ring tournament by defeating theIron Sheik in the finals. After André the Giant defeated Big John Studd at the event, Studd formed a tag team with King Kong Bundy, and the duo faced André and Hulk Hogan on several occasions.[28] Later, the team of Studd and Bundy teamed up inHandicap matches—a two against one wrestling match—against André, which renewed the feud between André and Studd.[29]
In late 1985, Wendi Richter lost her WWF Women's Championship in controversial fashion.[4] She wrestled a masked female wrestler known as The Spider Lady, who pinned Richter to win the title. After the match, the Spider Lady was revealed as the Fabulous Moolah.[4] This finish was ascrewjob, i.e. one participant (in this case Richter) was unaware of the planned title change. Richter left the WWF shortly after, and Moolah held the title for approximately two years.[4]
In a new storyline after WrestleMania, Roddy Piper began training Bob Orton as a boxer. Hulk Hogan accepted a challenge on the behalf of Mr. T to face Orton in a match on the February 15, 1986Saturday Night's Main Event V. After Mr. T won the match, Orton and Piper attacked him, leading to a boxing match atWrestleMania 2 between Piper and Mr. T. At the second annual WrestleMania, Piper was disqualified in the fourth round.[11]
The main event of this inaugural WrestleMania would also be the only time that a tag team match would main event the show untilWrestleMania 39 in 2023, whenThe Usos (Jey Uso andJimmy Uso) defended theUndisputed WWE Tag Team Championship againstKevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the main event of Night 1, in what would also be the first time a tag team championship would be defended in the main event.
WrestleMania would become considered the company's flagship event. It has since become the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April.[30] Following the advent ofSurvivor Series in 1987 and thenRoyal Rumble andSummerSlam in 1988—WWF's four original pay-per-views—the four would eventually be dubbed the "Big Four", withMoney in the Bank becoming a part of the "Big Five" in the early 2020s.[31] WrestleMania would eventually be described as theSuper Bowl ofsports entertainment.[32]
^ The WWF's official time for the match is a then-record time of nine seconds (a record since surpassed byThe Rock defeatingErick Rowan atWrestleMania 32),[16] although the match actually lasted 24 seconds.[17]
... WWE's flagship event lights up MetLife Stadium ... WrestleMania
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