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Post by mikey1974 on Jan 24, 2014 16:09:40 GMT -5
thebeard had a great idea - let's discuss the previous 29 WM's leading up to WrestleMania XXX ! however, I felt the idea of doing one per day for the 29 days leading up to this year's event would be too much of a rush to try and fit it all in,and get everyone's opinions on the shows. so I figured I'd start now, and every few days post another one. this way it gives us some breathing room,you know? hopefully this is okay with everybody! and,of course,you have to start off with the original:  the first WrestleMania actually WASN'T the first wrestling "supercard" as it were. the NWA had already done Starrcade in 1983,and every year thereafter,showcasing their biggest stars and hottest feud's. what made WM different was that,from a public consciousness standpoint,the WWF was the hottest wrestling company going in the mid-80's, and Vince McMahon used it to his advantage to get what was considered an anomaly at the time - celebrities being involved in the matches. and this gained the WWF even MORE mainstream exposure! PPV didn't exist yet,so the card was broadcast in various theaters and such across the country via Closed-Circuit television. the card,while nothing really outstanding,showcased all the top WWF guys at the time,while saving the celebritiesfor the 2 big matches at th end. indeed,upon watching it,it really comes across,in match content and production value,as just another Madison Square Garden show. this one,however,got hyped up to the moon due to the hotness of the WWF at the time,and,again, the mainstream exposure of all the celebrities. the WWF and Vince bet it all on this one event,and if it HADN'T of been a success,not only would we have no more WrestleMania's, the notional expansion ofthe WWF would've been stopped in it's tracks,and the company might not even have survived the end of the decade. that's how important this one event was. and to say it was successful is an understatement. the very legacy of the WWE today can all be traced back to this one day,this one card,when Vince McMahon bet the whole future of the company,and came out a winner! THE CARD: Tito Santana vs The Executuioner King Kong Bundy, w/ Jimmy Hart vs SD "Special Delivery" Jones Ricky Steamboat vs Matt Bourne David Sammartino, w/ Bruno Sammartino vs Brutus Beefcake, w/ Luscious Johnny Valiant Intercontinental Champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, w/ Jimmy Hart vs The Junkyard Dog Tag Team Champions The US Express, w/ Captain Lou Albano vs The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, w/ "Classy" Freddie Blassie $15,000 Slam Challenge - Andre the Giant vs Big John Studd, w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan Women's Champion Leilani Kai, w/ The Fabulous Moolah vs Wendi Richter, w/ Cyndi Lauper and David Wolff WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, w/ Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka vs "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, w/ "Cowboy" Bob Orton Main Event Celebrities - Billy Martin (Ring Announcer), Liberace (Timekeeper), and Muhammad Ali (Referee). |
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Post by Brad on Jan 24, 2014 18:05:04 GMT -5
When I was younger this show bored me. Just being completely honest. However, I'm almost 30 now and as recently as early last year I watched it again and I have to say I did enjoy it. Specially Steamboat Vs. Bourne, JYD Vs. The Hammer and the main event.
Man, I can't even describe it well in words. That main event had such an energy about it that it's hard to not get excited watching it, even 30 years later. I can close my eyes and picture Piper shooting out of the corner ready to get things going. There was a fire. An urgency. It truly is one of my favorite matches now. No lie
That's my two cents.
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Post by Jonathan Karate on Jan 24, 2014 21:38:14 GMT -5
Thank you for the credit on the idea. I thought it would be a great thing to do in this section of the forum without any unnecessary discussion.
Here is my opinion on Wrestlemania:
Being a younger fan I didn't witness a live wrestlemania that I can remember until Wrestlemania 14 but growing up my mother had the Wrestlemania VHS box set. So basically I've seen every wrestlemania multiple times and now being 18 I can go back and watch it not looking down on it because the in ring stuff isn't that great and instead look at it for what it was. Wrestling mixed with pop culture to bring forth the biggest wrestling show to date. Now sure the matches aren't the greatest, to be honest the only matches not forgettable from the card are Studd/Andre and the main event. However Steamboat/Bourne is a forgotten gem IMO.
So basically for me I love wrestlemania but not for the reasons I love most wrestlemanias (Great build ups, great matches and overall great shows) but instead love it for what it did for wrestling.
That being said it certainly is no Starcade 83.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jan 25, 2014 0:00:12 GMT -5
My opinion of Wrestlemania is really simple....
It was a MSG house show that had a name to it.
The under card wasn't anything special. It was a main guy vs. a jobber. The War To Settle The Score a month earlier had the same vibe that Wrestlemania had.
However, for the time in 1985, it was huge, no doubt about that. But it isn't a favourite of mine, it probably wouldn't even make a top 100 list of PPVs if I made one. It was what it was however. And that is the beginning of the grand daddy of them all that we see today.
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on Jan 25, 2014 0:50:51 GMT -5
My opinion of Wrestlemania is really simple.... It was a MSG house show that had a name to it. The under card wasn't anything special. It was a main guy vs. a jobber. The War To Settle The Score a month earlier had the same vibe that Wrestlemania had. However, for the time in 1985, it was huge, no doubt about that. But it isn't a favourite of mine, it probably wouldn't even make a top 100 list of PPVs if I made one. It was what it was however. And that is the beginning of the grand daddy of them all that we see today. You and I have the same opinions about the first WrestleMania. Granted, it was not a very good show to look at now but back then, it was a spectacle. Everybody has to remember that the WWF didn't have fancy stages, bright lights, and the other amenities we are accustomed to seeing at a WrestleMania. The first WrestleMania to some was a glorified house show with celebrities attached to the marquee. I was able to find a copy of the closed-circuit version some years ago. I have watched it from beginning to end. FWIW, I actually enjoyed this show. Granted, I was not around in 1985 to absorb the hype of the show. As an adult, I have it in me to appreciate classic wrestling and what it stood for the year in which the event took place. You won't find it on my top ten favorite PPV list but the stature and allure of this event holds a very important piece in wrestling. It was the start of something big which blossomed into its 30th event. I mean look how the NFL treats the Super Bowl every year. Its their biggest event. Much like how WrestleMania is the WWE's biggest event. If you asked anybody in 1985 that WrestleMania XXX would ever take place, they would have laughed and stared at you like you are crazy. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2014 10:09:41 GMT -5
I have a fondness through nostalgia for WM.
always gives me a good buzz and I LOVE JYD vs Valentine.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2014 11:15:12 GMT -5
I can certainly see this being a HUGE deal at the time and it really did have some decent matches.
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jason1980s
Main Eventer
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Post by jason1980s on Jan 25, 2014 13:56:24 GMT -5
I loved watching the Coliseum Video as a kid in the early 90s. I didn't see it as the start of all the greatness, though it certainly was/is, but just an awesome event.
The celebrities all made sense in their relation to New York or MSG and Cyndi Lauper was a large help in the Rock N Wrestling Connection. To this day she probably doesn't get enough credit.
In 1998 when WWF video came out with the WrestleMania VHS tapes I saw WrestleMania in an even better light. With the CV many interviews and entrances were edited out. With the 1998 version I got to see all the interviews, the backstage-like entrances as Lord Alfred went to the pre-recorded interviews and the best part was seeing the entrances with original theme music, all of which were popular songs around the time.
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Post by mikey1974 on Jan 25, 2014 14:28:18 GMT -5
yeah,one thing to keep in mind -and I was almost 11 when the first Mania took place,so I know whereof I speak- is that we,the wrestling fans,didn't know this would go on to be a "thing",an ongoing tradition. at the time it felt like,and was marketed like, a 1-time super event for the WWF, a way to finally settle the biggest feud's of the time : Hogan vs Piper & Co., and Moolah vs Wendi Richter. cause those feud's WERE so big at the time for not only wrestling but for pop culture as well. so it was put forth that there needed to be a special event to settle the score. no one had any idea that there not only would be a WrestleMania 2 the next year,but that this would go on to become the biggest thing ever in pro wrestling history.
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Post by BrIaNMeRcY on Jan 25, 2014 22:37:28 GMT -5
yeah,one thing to keep in mind -and I was almost 11 when the first Mania took place,so I know whereof I speak- is that we,the wrestling fans,didn't know this would go on to be a "thing",an ongoing tradition. at the time it felt like,and was marketed like, a 1-time super event for the WWF, a way to finally settle the biggest feud's of the time : Hogan vs Piper & Co., and Moolah vs Wendi Richter. cause those feud's WERE so big at the time for not only wrestling but for pop culture as well. so it was put forth that there needed to be a special event to settle the score. no one had any idea that there not only would be a WrestleMania 2 the next year,but that this would go on to become the biggest thing ever in pro wrestling history. I agree with everything you said. Nobody, and I mean nobody would even think WrestleMania would be what it is today in 1985. Hell, even Vince McMahon was uncertain whether or not WrestleMania was a success. Remember, Vince McMahon placed all of his money on promoting and getting the show setup. fast forward to 2014, the massive risk Vince McMahon made paid off huge. People can say the Attitude Era put the WWF on the map but that was all due to the success of WrestleMania. Many has to remember, there wasn't many outlets for the WWF to promote this event. Television wasn't always there for them. Considering the amount of shows they had on TV at the time. WrestleMania I may not have had a stellar card looking at it today but it was special for those attending the show live at Madison Square Garden but also those who went to watch it at closed-circuit locations. Mind you, I was not around in 1985 (I wasn't born till 1988). I can sit down and enjoy it because it is one of the most historically significant events in all of professional wrestling. It is evident that thousands of things have changed since 1985. The base of all those changes was due to the success of WrestleMania I. |
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HuskerTornado
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Post by HuskerTornado on Jan 26, 2014 0:16:43 GMT -5
Still have my old Coliseum Video giant clamshell VHS. Wasn't aware that the 98 re-release included extra footage, usually those re-releases cut footage, from what I heard.
It's been a long time since I've watched the event, probably 10 years or so. It was a fairly decent card, but the WM program didn't get it quite right until III.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2014 2:52:50 GMT -5
WM3 was my first...I saw this and 2 many times in order to catch up. Favorite was Bundy squashing Jones.
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June
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High Fives All Around!!!
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Post by June on Jan 26, 2014 8:24:32 GMT -5
Some consider this card to be underwhelming but it really was a great example of Vince laying the ground work for things to come.
-Tito vs Executioner - Santana at this time was still embroiled in a feud with Valentine, but the two had squared off in the two previous MSG cards, and Tito needed a win on the national level so a match with a masked man was what we got, the reason for the mask was to add some value to this victory, since Buddy Rose had done his fair share of jobs coming into this card.
-Bundy vs SD Jones - this matches purpose was to introduce a new dominant heel, and it did so in flying colors.
-Steamboat vs Borne - nothing glamorous, but a top babyface was introduced in Steamboat.
-David Sammartino vs Beefcake - this was a showcase of two youngsters, and also a way to get Bruno out in the garden.
-JYD vs Valentine - JYD was red hot coming in, and provided a great challenge for Valentine, and the run in by Tito kept his feud with the Hammer alive.
-Sheik & Volkoff vs US Express - crowned new champs that would play a pivotal role in the expansion, and gave MSG fans one of the final glimpses of Blassie & The Capper.
-Andre vs Studd was a fun spectacle that showcased the two largest athletes in the company.
-Richter vs Kai this match looking back seems like an afterthought, but at the time it was huge. Aside from Hogan, it can be said that Richter was the most popular performer on the roster at this time.
-Hogan & T vs Piper and Orndorff, this was the match that sold the event, and it did not let the fans down, lots of intensity and it sent the crowd home happy.
Great card too to bottom, I love that it was an actual structured card, rather than super match after super match. I just wish Muraco would've found a spot on the card to setup his spring feud with Hogan.
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jason1980s
Main Eventer
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Post by jason1980s on Jan 26, 2014 8:32:28 GMT -5
Still have my old Coliseum Video giant clamshell VHS. Wasn't aware that the 98 re-release included extra footage, usually those re-releases cut footage, from what I heard. It's been a long time since I've watched the event, probably 10 years or so. It was a fairly decent card, but the WM program didn't get it quite right until III. It was around 98-99 and place I would buy the WWF video WrestleMania tapes was Suncoast video. I'm not sure if they were exclusive. I bought them all but 10, 12 and 14 as I had them from PPV. Other than the WrestleMania IV backstage segments (Heenan and DeGeorge interaction, DeGeorge in Dibiase's suite etc...) all of the original PPV footage is in there. Sort of like the DVD releases box set from 2005 but all the themes are in tact (Survivor, Springsteen, Lauper, Demolition, Twin Towers, Bossman, Hillbilly......). It's awesome! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2014 8:36:52 GMT -5
I'm sure it was awe inspiring for the time, but being born nearly 7 years after it aired makes it hard for me to fully understand what a big deal it was at the time.
For me, it doesn't hold up well. I don't think the entire cards of WM started getting good until around WM5.
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Post by Mr. Old School™ on Jan 26, 2014 9:05:49 GMT -5
Loved the original WrestleMania and really enjoy going back and watching it again after all these years. I especially loved "Rowdy" Roddy Piper's entrance with the bagpipe entourage leading the way. How cool was that??
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