WrestleMania I

WrestleMania I
March 31, 1985
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York

This is where it all began! Vince McMahon’s vision came to fruition on March 31, 1985. The event has truly become a spectacle today, as every show is in a big stadium nowadays. The first one was shown on closed circuit television in arena’s and theaters throughout the country. It really was a big risk that McMahon took, but it provided a huge reward.

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Tito Santana vs. Executioner
This was a good choice for an opener, as Santana is a pro’s pro and very popular so he got the MSG crowd hot. Executioner is a masked man. It’s Buddy Rose for those wondering. He is very bland, but this match served its purpose, which was to get the crowd hot, and put Santana over. Tito wins by submission with a figure four leg lock**

King Kong Bundy vs. SD Jones
Another match that had a very clear cut purpose and it paid off very well. King Kong Bundy was to go out there and look like a complete monster. He squashed SD Jones in about 20 seconds, though the WWE would say “9 seconds” for years which served as sort of a record. Nowadays it’s a cliché as recent WrestleMania’s have had a quick squash match like this booked every year. The match is a DUD but I give it a bump up for the historical significance. ¼*

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Matt Borne
Matt Borne is of course the original Doink the Clown. He played the evil, cool Doink, not the lame one that came later. Steamboat is of course in the prime of his career and therefore can get a watchable match out of just about anyone. Borne is a good wrestler in his own right. Really too bad that this one didn’t get more time, but again, it served its purpose which was to get Steamboat over. Good little match. **1/2

David Sammartino vs. Brutus Beefcake
For some reason, they gave this match a lot more time that could’ve been better served for other matches on this card. This was an ok match but pretty bland and boring. Pretty much was there to give some face time to Bruno Sammartino. Match ends in a lame double DQ which makes me continue to ask the question “Why was this match given so much more time than other matches?” *1/4

WWE IC Championship
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (champion) vs. Junkyard Dog
Oddly enough, Valentine was in the middle of a really hot feud with Tito Santana at this time, so I’ve always wondered why they didn’t add that match to this show instead of this one. This one is decent enough, Valentine gets the cheap win with feet on the ropes, but Santana comes out to protest, and beat up on Valentine, and JYD wins the match by count out. Titles of course cannot change hands on count outs. Would have much rather seen Valentine-Santana. This was an ok match. *1/2

WWE Tag Team Championship
US Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) (champions) vs. Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff
Windham and Rotundo would see better days in the future when they leave WWE for the NWA, but they were a good tag team, and Sheik and Volkoff were very much over as evil foreigner heels. This was a fun little match but suffers from what a lot of matches suffer from, which is lack of time. The match ends when Sheik nails Windham with Freddie Blassies cane and we have new tag team champions. Coulda used a few more minutes. *3/4

$15,000 Bodyslam Challenge
Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd
The idea here was that Big John Studd told Andre the Giant that he would give him $15,000 if he could bodyslam him. If he couldn’t then Andre would retire. Not really much doubt here. This was a decent match considering the size and lack of mobility of both men. Andre would of course bodyslam Studd and win the match. He took the bag of money and began throwing it out to the crowd before Bobby Heenan, Studds manager, intervened and took the bag. ½* for the match plus an extra ¼* for the historical context. ¾*

WWE Women’s Championship
Leilani Kai (champion) vs. Wendy Richter
This match is the epitome of the Rock n’ Wrestling era which was an insane moneymaker for Vince as the WWE took a huge step towards pro wrestling dominance with this partnership with MTV at the time. Kai was the champion and in her corner was the great Fabulous Moolah. Richter was the challenger and in her corner was pop star Cindy Lauper. You have to consider the times here. The match itself isn’t great or anything, but it really is a nice “mark out” moment and the crowd loved every second of it. Richter ultimately wins the match and the title. 3/4 * for the match, bump it up another ¼* for, once again, the historical nature of the match. *

Main Event
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
This was the big match. Hogan and T hosted Saturday Night Live the night before this show. It had celebrities galore. Great New York Yankee manager Billy Martin served as the special ring announcer. Liberace and the Rockettes served as special time keeper, and the greatest of all time Muhammad Ali served as a special referee. The match delivered as it was the match of the night. Mr. T’s clear limitations were nicely mitigated because he was in the ring with 3 true professionals in Hogan, Piper, and Orndorff. The match ended with Bob Orton hitting Orndorff with his cast and Hogan getting the pin. Just a simple, tag team match, that sent the fans home extremely happy. ***

Final Analysis: If you’re a fan who likes to see great wrestling, then this show isn’t for you. The wrestling is not very good, hasn’t aged that well. I try and rate this event, however, the same way a lot of NFL fans rate Tim Tebow as a Quarterback. In other words, I try and keep the historical value in perspective when watching this show. I wouldn’t recommend this show unless you’re really interested in seeing the genesis of WrestleMania.