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I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

As Good As It Gets

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Though no one can say that the first Wrestlemania wasn't a landmark event in professional wrestling history, this event (for a number of reasons) just doesn't pass muster compared to other events that would come later.First of all, the presentation is not befitting of an epic event. The announcing team of Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura is rock-solid, but the transitions between matches and camera work leaves much to be desired. Instead of the truly magnificent feel of later shows, "Wrestlemania I" is a bit dark and sparse.In terms of the matches themselves, they really don't start to get going until the last half hour or so. Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd in a Slam Match is kind of fun, as is the women's match featuring Cyndi Lauper. The finale (Rowdy Piper and Paul Orndorf vs. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T) is full of energy, if not a bit anti-climactic.Overall, it is clear from viewing this in hindsight that the WWF was still searching for the "magic touch" to truly make Wrestlemania a must-see event.

(03.31.85)Live from NY, NY (Madison Square Garden)Attendance‎: ‎19,121Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jessie VenturaTito Santana Vs The ExecutionerSantana wins with the Figure Four Leg Lock. It's way too short for me to call this a good match or give it a good rating, but they managed to cram in some decent stuff for a glorified squash match. *1/2King Kong Bundy (W/Jimmy Hart) Vs SD JonesSD Jones goes for a shoulder block, but Bundy catches him in a bear hug, then rams him in the corner. An avalanche, followed by a big splash ends SD Jones night in 9 seconds! That was a new record for the time. SD Jones was a jobber and this was done to put over Bundy as unstoppable. DUDMatt Borne Vs Ricky SteamboatSteamboat wins with a flying cross-body off the top turnbuckle. This was far too short to be anything spectacular, but it was somewhat exciting for the time that it got. Despite that his status was JTTS (Jobber to the stars). Borne certainly didn't phone it in and he got in a reasonable amount of offense. **David Sammartino (W/Bruno Sammartino) Vs Brutus Beefcake (W/Johnny V)The match ends in a double disqualification when both Bruno and Johnny V get involved. This match was fairly plodding with too many rest holds and not enough action. I can't recall an excellent Beefcake match and David wasn't good enough to carry a match. The best thing about this match was the hot ending. The fans went nuts for Bruno getting involved. It's sad to say, but the real attraction here was Bruno Sammartino Vs Johnny V. *Intercontinental ChampionshipGreg "The Hammer" Valentine (C) (W/Jimmy Hart) Vs The Junkyard DogValentine pins JYD by putting his feet on the ropes. Tito Santana comes in and complains about Valentine's chicanery and the referee reverses the decision, making the match continue. Valentine leaves and JYD wins by countout....A pretty bad match that consisted of mostly headbutts and punches. As solid as Valentine was, there isn't much he could do. No disrespect to JYD, but wrestling wasn't his greatest asset. It was charisma that really carried him over the years. The finish was really unnecessary as well. 3/4*Tag Team ChampionshipThe U.S Express (C) (Mike Rotundo & Barry Windham) (W/Lou Albano) Vs Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (W/Freddie Blassie)Volkoff & The Iron Sheik win the Tag Team Titles when The Iron Sheik nails Barry Windham in the back of the head with Blassie's cane. This was an OK tag match. Volkoff and Sheik aren't exactly the most nimble, Sheik and Volkoff were heat magnets with the "anti-usa" stuff, and giving the titles to them wasn't a bad choice by any means. **15 Thousand Dollar Bodyslam ChallengeBig John Studd (W/Bobby Heenan) Vs Andre The GiantThe stipulations are that if Studd can slam Andre, Andre will retire from wrestling. If Andre slams Studd, he gets 15 thousand dollars. Naturally, Andre easily slams Studd. Afterwards, Andre starts throwing the money away to the fans, but Bobby Heenan sneaks up from behind and grabs the bag full of money. The buildup to this was far better than the match. It was really boring, to be honest. Even though it wasn't a true match, nothing exciting happened during the match at all. The fans were into it, but I was bored to tears. N/RWomen's ChampionshipLeilani Kai (C) (W/The Fabulous Moolah) Vs Wendi Richter (W/Cyndi Lauper) This match was treated as a pretty big deal with Lauper's involvement. Wendi Richter wins the title back from Kai after reversing the momentum from a flying cross-body from the top turnbuckle by Kai. This match was nothing special. There was nothing really truly bad about it, but it lacked the needed excitement. There was far too much hair pulling and nothing stood out about it. It started to improve a bit near the end, but it was too little too late. *1/2Wendi Richter says winning the title back is the happiest moment of her life and celebrates some more with Cyndi Lauper backstage.Billy Martin, Liberace, and Muhammad Ali are introduced as the guest celebrities for the main eventHulk Hogan & Mr. T (W/Jimmy Snuka) Vs "Rowdy" Roddy Piper & "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff (W/Cowboy Bob Orton)Hulk Hogan and Mr. T win after a heel miscommunication commences when Orton drills Orndorff in lieu of Hogan. This was the biggest match in the history of wrestling at this juncture, at least in my opinion. This match really helped the WWF take off and give it legitimacy as a global phenomenon. I wouldn't exactly call it a great match, but it's a terrific spectacle and fairly fun to watch. Mr. T certainly didn't embarrass himself in the ring and held his own when it came to wrestling. Paul Orndorff would turn face shortly after Wrestlemania because of the heel miscommunication. I'm gonna go ahead and gives this three stars just because of the historical importance. ***Final Thoughts.This is essentially a glorified house show. It's a pretty unremarkable event if you think about it. There is only one above average match on the entire card with the rest being either forgettable or awful. The only reason this is special is because of the historical value. Without Wrestlemania, WWE wouldn't be where it is today. As a wrestling fan, you must see it once because of that, but it really is a bland show for the most part4/10

Wrestlemania (1985) was Vince K. McMahon's big step into mainstreaming pro-wrestling. Back in the day Wrestlemania was huge and Hulk Hogan was the muscle behind it. The card and the matches weren't so hot but the hype sure was. I have to hand to V.K. McMahon for pulling off this great event. He turned a dying "sport" into "sports entertainment and am I ever so thankful.P.S. Don't play the video game that came out a few years later on the N.E.S. because it's real bad. If you ever get that nostalgic trip watch a couple of Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd matches circa. 1988-1989, you'll stop cold turkey believe me.

Vince McMahon's Wrestlemania is a classics in sports history. Maybe not the greatest moment, but it is way up there (right up there with Mays throwing the ball from outfield and the 1994 Rangers Stanley cup victory). McMahon's vision of a true sports event in wrestling is pure genius, in which he has Mr T fight the "American hero" Hulk Hogan in one of the most memorable matches ever. Great fun, with McMahon there to produce and star in this spectacle that is only matched (maybe even greater) by the super bowl. A++