Wrestlemania 1 Review
Feb 15, 2009 12:30:00 GMT -5
Post by Scott Fire on Feb 15, 2009 12:30:00 GMT -5
Backstory: Since I have no life pretty much I decided last week that I'm going to go thru all the Wrestlemanias, and possibly other major ppv's, and rate them. Not wanting to do this alone I sucked my friend Andrew into joining in on the process.
How Their Rated: Each match/segment, plus commentary & intangibles, is rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. At the end all the points are added up and a percentage of the total points the Mania got is found. The percentage will be the ultimate score.
Alright here we go...
Wrestlemania 1
March 31st, 1985
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
1) Opening/National Anthem By Mene Gene Okerlund
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: It appears they spent all the available cash on celebrities used later in the show, so they could not afford a real musical act to perform the National Anthem. I gave it a 2 simply for Mene Gene's effort.
2) Promos - Tito Santana & The Executioner
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Dragged down by The Executioner's promo, which was off to a great start after he fumbled his first word and then went onto reveal his strategy to the world and likely Tito, who had just walked away from the same area where 'Cutioner was cutting his promo.
3) Tito Santana VS. The Executioner
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Had this been a television match it would have gotten a higher score, but this is friggin Wrestlemania. Still a solid effort from Tito Santana.
4) Promos: S.D. Jones & King Kong Bundy W/ Jimmy Hart
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Not completely horrible, but not that great either. At least they didn't fumble over their first word, right 'Cutioner?
5) S.D. Jones VS. King Kong Bundy
Scores: Mine (1/5) - Andrew (1/5)
Comment: 9 second victor for Bundy? I don't think so, try 23 seconds. Either way it's still crappy.
6) Promos: Matt Borne & Ricky Steamboat
Scores: Mine 3/5 - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Matt Borne, the original Doink, making is Wrestlemania debut. Sweet.
7) Matt Borne VS. Ricky Steamboat
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Ricky will always at least get a 3 for his match work.
8) Promos: David Sammartino W/ Bruno Sammartino & Brutus Beefcake W/ Johnny Valiant
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: See comment for Jones/Bundy promos.
9) Brutus Beefcake VS. David Sammartino
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: This sluggish match was saved by the aftermath, which featured Bruno Sammartino going to town on Beefcake & Valiant.
10) Promos: Greg Valentine W/ Jimmy Hart & Junkyard Dog
Scores: Mine (4/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: So Andrew & I finally disagreed...
11) WWF Intercontinental Championship - Greg Valentine (c) VS. Junkyard Dog
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: To me it was all just a bunch of headbutts and punches from Junkyard Dog. Plus the referee counting Valentine out, after taking Tito Santana's word that Valentine cheated, was really lame.
12) Promos: Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik W/ Freddie Blassie & The US Express W/ Lou Albano
Scores: Mine (1/5) - Andrew (1/5)
Comment: What the hell did Sheik & Volkoff say? And Windham says he and Rotunda are going out to the ring at that very moment. Is he aware he and Rotunda are still in their street clothes. You're not fooling anyone silly!
13) WWF World Tag Team Championship - Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik VS. The US Express (c)
Scores: Mine (4/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: Think God the match did not equal the promos. Solid tag team action.
14) Promos: The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff W/ Fred Blassie & Big John Studd W/ Bobby Heenan
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Saved by Bobby Heenan. Heenan slapping Gene Okerlund's hand away like a child is classic.
15) $15,000 Bodyslam Challenge: Big John Studd VS. Andre The Giant
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Solid big man action from Andre, well at least enough to warrant a 3 out of 5 from me. Andrew did not likey.
16) Promo: Andre The Giant
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Andrew gave it a 3 because it's Andre, and probably because it was not The Iron Sheik or Nikolai Volkoff. Fair enough.
17) Promos: Wendi Richter W/ Cyndi Lauper & Lelani Kai W/ Fabolous Moolah
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Not memorable at all, but STILL better then the tag title match promos.
18) WWF Women's Championship - Wendi Richter VS. Lelani Kai (c)
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Too sloppy, including the ending. The highlite for me was Ricther doing an almost inverted FU.
19) Promo: Wendi Ricther W/ Cyndi Lauper
Scores: Mine (1/5) - Andrew (1/5)
Comment: Lauper says she knew she had to bring something to protect herself from Moolah, so she brings a towel. A TOWEL? Alright, if I'm ever in a bar fight I'm going to grab a dish rag.
20) Celebrity Introductions
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: It gets upgraded for the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammed Ali, being involved. It gets downgraded due to Liberace dancing with the Rockettes, which has no place on a wrestling show.
21) Main Event: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T VS. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff
Scores: Mine (5/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: I gave it a bonus point partly for being the first main event in Mania history and for being better then everything else on the card. Andrew gave no bonus points.
22) Promo: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T W/ Jimmy Snuka
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Snuka is a legend for what he did in the ring, and obviously for not what he did on the microphone.
23) Commentary: Jessie Ventura & Gorilla Monsoon
Scores: Mine (4/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: Monsoon & Ventura weren't quite at the top of their game here and there were some slip ups (Ventura saying Steamboat delivered a double RIGHT HANDED fists to the head of Borne), but overall it was still solid.
24) Intangibles
Scores: Mine (5/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: I gave it 5 out of 5 because, to put it simply, it gave birth to the greatest pay-per-view event in history. Without this being a success there would not have been another one.
Overall Scores
Mine: 55% (66/120) - Andrew 53% (64/120)
My Final View: Not much to look at past the Main Event. Also a lot of the matches seemed to have no story behind them and were just thrown together, which seems to be the story for a lot of the early Manias. Still it is a watchable show with some memorable moments and it will always be remembered as the one that started it all.
Thoughts?
How Their Rated: Each match/segment, plus commentary & intangibles, is rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. At the end all the points are added up and a percentage of the total points the Mania got is found. The percentage will be the ultimate score.
Alright here we go...
Wrestlemania 1
March 31st, 1985
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
1) Opening/National Anthem By Mene Gene Okerlund
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: It appears they spent all the available cash on celebrities used later in the show, so they could not afford a real musical act to perform the National Anthem. I gave it a 2 simply for Mene Gene's effort.
2) Promos - Tito Santana & The Executioner
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Dragged down by The Executioner's promo, which was off to a great start after he fumbled his first word and then went onto reveal his strategy to the world and likely Tito, who had just walked away from the same area where 'Cutioner was cutting his promo.
3) Tito Santana VS. The Executioner
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Had this been a television match it would have gotten a higher score, but this is friggin Wrestlemania. Still a solid effort from Tito Santana.
4) Promos: S.D. Jones & King Kong Bundy W/ Jimmy Hart
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Not completely horrible, but not that great either. At least they didn't fumble over their first word, right 'Cutioner?
5) S.D. Jones VS. King Kong Bundy
Scores: Mine (1/5) - Andrew (1/5)
Comment: 9 second victor for Bundy? I don't think so, try 23 seconds. Either way it's still crappy.
6) Promos: Matt Borne & Ricky Steamboat
Scores: Mine 3/5 - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Matt Borne, the original Doink, making is Wrestlemania debut. Sweet.
7) Matt Borne VS. Ricky Steamboat
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Ricky will always at least get a 3 for his match work.
8) Promos: David Sammartino W/ Bruno Sammartino & Brutus Beefcake W/ Johnny Valiant
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: See comment for Jones/Bundy promos.
9) Brutus Beefcake VS. David Sammartino
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: This sluggish match was saved by the aftermath, which featured Bruno Sammartino going to town on Beefcake & Valiant.
10) Promos: Greg Valentine W/ Jimmy Hart & Junkyard Dog
Scores: Mine (4/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: So Andrew & I finally disagreed...
11) WWF Intercontinental Championship - Greg Valentine (c) VS. Junkyard Dog
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: To me it was all just a bunch of headbutts and punches from Junkyard Dog. Plus the referee counting Valentine out, after taking Tito Santana's word that Valentine cheated, was really lame.
12) Promos: Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik W/ Freddie Blassie & The US Express W/ Lou Albano
Scores: Mine (1/5) - Andrew (1/5)
Comment: What the hell did Sheik & Volkoff say? And Windham says he and Rotunda are going out to the ring at that very moment. Is he aware he and Rotunda are still in their street clothes. You're not fooling anyone silly!
13) WWF World Tag Team Championship - Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik VS. The US Express (c)
Scores: Mine (4/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: Think God the match did not equal the promos. Solid tag team action.
14) Promos: The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff W/ Fred Blassie & Big John Studd W/ Bobby Heenan
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Saved by Bobby Heenan. Heenan slapping Gene Okerlund's hand away like a child is classic.
15) $15,000 Bodyslam Challenge: Big John Studd VS. Andre The Giant
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Solid big man action from Andre, well at least enough to warrant a 3 out of 5 from me. Andrew did not likey.
16) Promo: Andre The Giant
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Andrew gave it a 3 because it's Andre, and probably because it was not The Iron Sheik or Nikolai Volkoff. Fair enough.
17) Promos: Wendi Richter W/ Cyndi Lauper & Lelani Kai W/ Fabolous Moolah
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: Not memorable at all, but STILL better then the tag title match promos.
18) WWF Women's Championship - Wendi Richter VS. Lelani Kai (c)
Scores: Mine (2/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Too sloppy, including the ending. The highlite for me was Ricther doing an almost inverted FU.
19) Promo: Wendi Ricther W/ Cyndi Lauper
Scores: Mine (1/5) - Andrew (1/5)
Comment: Lauper says she knew she had to bring something to protect herself from Moolah, so she brings a towel. A TOWEL? Alright, if I'm ever in a bar fight I'm going to grab a dish rag.
20) Celebrity Introductions
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (2/5)
Comment: It gets upgraded for the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammed Ali, being involved. It gets downgraded due to Liberace dancing with the Rockettes, which has no place on a wrestling show.
21) Main Event: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T VS. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff
Scores: Mine (5/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: I gave it a bonus point partly for being the first main event in Mania history and for being better then everything else on the card. Andrew gave no bonus points.
22) Promo: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T W/ Jimmy Snuka
Scores: Mine (3/5) - Andrew (3/5)
Comment: Snuka is a legend for what he did in the ring, and obviously for not what he did on the microphone.
23) Commentary: Jessie Ventura & Gorilla Monsoon
Scores: Mine (4/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: Monsoon & Ventura weren't quite at the top of their game here and there were some slip ups (Ventura saying Steamboat delivered a double RIGHT HANDED fists to the head of Borne), but overall it was still solid.
24) Intangibles
Scores: Mine (5/5) - Andrew (4/5)
Comment: I gave it 5 out of 5 because, to put it simply, it gave birth to the greatest pay-per-view event in history. Without this being a success there would not have been another one.
Overall Scores
Mine: 55% (66/120) - Andrew 53% (64/120)
My Final View: Not much to look at past the Main Event. Also a lot of the matches seemed to have no story behind them and were just thrown together, which seems to be the story for a lot of the early Manias. Still it is a watchable show with some memorable moments and it will always be remembered as the one that started it all.
Thoughts?
