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WrestleMania (chronologically known as WrestleMania I) was the first WrestleMania professional wrestling event from the World Wrestling Federation, which took place on March 31, 1985 in New York, New York at the world-famous Madison Square Garden.
It is also a commonly held misconception that the first WWF pay-per-view was November 1985's The Wrestling Classic, a tournament held at the Rosemont Horizon near Chicago, but the first WrestleMania event, in March of the same year, was available on pay-per-view in some markets.
For the first WrestleMania, Vince McMahon began cross promotions with MTV and several celebrities like Muhammad Ali, Liberace and Cyndi Lauper appeared during the build up to and at the event.
Results
Tito Santana vs. The Executioner
- Tito Santana defeated The Executioner by submission (4:50).
David Sammartino (w/Bruno Sammartino) vs. Brutus Beefcake (w/Johnny Valiant)
- David Sammartino and Brutus Beefcake wrestled to a double disqualification when the two fought outside of the ring and never returned (12:43).
Ricky Steamboat vs. Matt Borne
- Steamboat defeated Borne by pinfall after a flying crossbody (4:37).
King Kong Bundy (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Special Delivery Jones
- Bundy won the match in an announced time of nine seconds (the actual length of the match is disputed) after pinning Jones following an avalanche and a big splash (24 seconds)
wrestling match types#(Move) match|$15,000 Body Slam match" target="_blank" >*: André the Giant vs. Big John Studd (w/Bobby Heenan)
- André the Giant body slammed the "unslammable" Big John Studd to win the match. After the match, André began to throw the money into the crowd to Heenan's dismay, who eventually got the bag back (5:53).
For the WWF Intercontinental Championship: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (w/Jimmy Hart) (c) vs. Junkyard Dog
- Greg Valentine pinned Junk Yard Dog with a roll-up while holding onto the ropes for leverage. Displeased with the result, Tito Santana came out and told the referee about Valentine's illegal victory causing the match to restart. Valentine walked out of the match, giving JYD the win by count-out. However, Valentine retained the WWF Intercontinental Championship (7:05).
For the WWF World Tag Team Championship: U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham, w/Lou Albano) (c) vs. Nikolai Volkoff and Iron Sheik (w/Classy Freddie Blassie)
- Volkoff and Sheik won the match and became WWF World Tag Team Champions when Sheik hit Windham with Blassie's cane, enabling Volkoff to gain the pinfall (6:55).
For the WWF Women's Championship: Leilani Kai (w/The Fabulous Moolah) (c) vs. Wendi Richter (w/Cyndi Lauper)
- Richter defeated Leilani Kai to win the WWF Women's Championship when Richter reversed Kai's flying bodypress into a pin (6:12).
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (w/"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka) vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Mr. Wonderful (w/Bob Orton, Jr.) w/Muhammad Ali as guest outside referee
- Hogan and Mr. T claimed the victory when Orton tried to interfere but ended up hitting Mr. Wonderful with his cast, leaving Hogan to pin Wonderful for the win (13:13).
Celebrities
- Billy Martin - guest ring announcer for main event
- Cyndi Lauper - Wendi Richter's manager
- Mr. T - tagged with Hulk Hogan in main event
- Muhammad Ali - guest official for main event
- Liberace - guest time keeper for main event
- The Rockettes - led Liberace to time keeper's table
Trivia
- When Hulk Hogan and Mr. T walk through the backstage area towards the ring, Vince McMahon can be seen off to the side.
- A technical glitch ended the closed circuit broadcast early into the showing at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To appease angry fans who pelted the screen with garbage, WrestleMania I was broadcast in its entirety on a local television station two weeks later.
- A long standing rumor says that Bruiser Brody was offered a large sum of money by a rival promoter to jump over the protective guardrail during Hulk Hogan and Mr. T's entrance and injure Hulk Hogan before the main event.
- Hulk Hogan and Mr. T appeared on Saturday Night Live together to help promote this WrestleMania.
- The font used in the logo for the first WrestleMania would continually be used in every consecutive WrestleMania up to WrestleMania XV. However, the font would later be used again for the logo of WrestleMania 22.
- This WrestleMania, so far, is the only WrestleMania not to feature a match with the WWE Championship on the line.
- Pat Patterson was the in-ring referee for the main event.
- Leilani Kai would return to Madison Square Garden for WrestleMania X. Kai lost another Women's title match, only this time she was challenging reigning Women's Champion Alundra Blayze.
- Greg Valentine becomes the first in a long line of Intercontinental champions to retain his title at WrestleMania despite losing the match.
References
External links
"WrestleMania (1985)"