Location: “We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”
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WWF WrestleMania 2
The often forgotten Wrestlemania! Most often remembered for being the experimental Wrestlemania as it took place from three different venues:
April 7, 1986 Uniondale, New York
Rosemont, Illinois
Los Angeles, California
Ray Charles sang America The Beautiful.
THE CARD:
"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorf Vs. "The Magnificent" Muraco
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP: "Macho Man" Randy Savage Vs. George "The Animal" Steele
Jake "The Snake" Roberts Vs. George Wells
BOXING MATCH: Mr. T. Vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP: The Fabulous Moolah Vs. Velvet McIntyre
FLAG MATCH: Corporal Kirchner Vs. Nikolai Volkoff
20-man Battle Royal
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: The British Bulldogs Vs. The Dream Team (Valentine/Beefcake)
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat" Vs. Hercules Hernandez
Adrian Adonis Vs. Uncle Elmer
Terry Funk & Dory Funk, Jr. Vs. The Junkyard Dog & Tito Santana
WWF CHAMPIONSHIP (CAGE MATCH): Hulk Hogan Vs. King Kong Bundy
Admittedly, a lot of it nowadays is nostalgia but I love this Wrestlemania & think it is underrated. I remember I used to rent the VHS of this all the time. Pretty sure Hogan/Bundy was the first cage match that I ever saw. I also used to have a huge crush on Elvira and she was on commentary at one of the locations (and admittedly terrible at it). The Boxing match is pretty memorable as Piper is just that good.
Random Trivial Pursuit Info: The only Wrestlemania to ever be held on a Monday. Also was the first Wrestlemania to be shown on Pay-Per-View.
*****
So, curious what memories you have of this event. If you're a fan or not. Where does it rank in terms of the other Wrestlemania shows in your mind?
I remember getting the Wrestlemania boxset in 2000 with the first 15 Manias and remember not really enjoying Wrestlemania 2 as much as any up until 9. I felt that apart from WM VII, the rest had been built up to me through the years with Wrestlemania being the original, Hogan/Andre, Savage/Steamboat at III, Savage winning the belt, Mega Powers Explode, Savage/Flair & Hogan/Sid and a few others bits being drummed into me through WWF television and home video.
I'm English so saw the point but didn't enjoy the Battle Royal and didn't really think Bundy was upto much when I saw the main event, and at the time the 3 venues just seemed like a clusterfuck to me.
I've watched it since and enjoyed it though, especially the Piper/Mr. T boxing match because I've learned how arrogant the non-wrestler was towards wrestling. I always feel like the first Wrestlemanias were The Main Event, the IC Title match and then a bunch of random matches and I couldn't enjoy a lot of them, with 2 being the king of this mountain. There's a lot of talent on show, but although I enjoyed the Nostalgic kick and I bet it went over huge, I would have to say I rank it probably bottom 5 of all-time wrestlemanias.
Although, as an addition, I don't know if anyone else can do this but I can recall every match for Wrestlemanias 1-15 and their outcomes, yet for the life of me off the top of my head I can't even think what number we're upto and apart from Cena/Rock and HHH/Taker, what other matches were at Mania last year, and God knows the years before. Either I'm phasing stuff out or I enjoy the nostalgia and the legacy the event brings rather than the actual performance itself nowadays.
Location: “We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”
Posts: 5,127
Re: WWF Wrestlemania 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by Issues_Sunshyne
Although, as an addition, I don't know if anyone else can do this but I can recall every match for Wrestlemanias 1-15 and their outcomes, yet for the life of me off the top of my head I can't even think what number we're up to and apart from Cena/Rock and HHH/Taker, what other matches were at Mania last year, and God knows the years before. Either I'm phasing stuff out or I enjoy the nostalgia and the legacy the event brings rather than the actual performance itself nowadays.
Ha! This is hilarious because I had this conversation with two of my friends in person not too long ago. Complete with us having to look up not only the cards but the results from every Wrestlemania since 20. They just don't seem to matter anymore whereas growing up, 'Mania was a lot more important & memorable to us. I mean, I can remember The Barbarian taking off Tito Santana's head with a flying clothesline at Wrestlemania 6 but I can't remember who was even in the main event at Wrestlemania 24, 25 or 26. STILL. Even after looking it up not too long ago. I STILL don't remember.
Kind up sums up WWE as a whole for me lately, really.
Hate WM 2, think its a shitty PPV. Like like a lot of the early WM shows. The two tag matches are the only things worth seeing and neither of them are that good still imo. I remember a while back someone pimped the shit out of them, so I watched them and was disappointed. Not because they were awful, but because they weren't THAT good lol. We get better matches on current WWE TV . Not so much this year so far, but yeah.
Point was proved as WM has never again been held in multiples places at the same time.
Though the Battle Royal was good.
I always wondered why they considered the three venues a failure. To me, it was the card that killed it. Selling out three arenas and all the normal WM buys sounds like it could make some serious cash, especially with the advancements in television broadcast technology. It could be a pretty big feat if done right.
Location: “We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.”
Posts: 5,127
Re: WWF WrestleMania 2
I actually like the card a great deal. Back in those days, pro-wrestling wasn't as over-exposed as it is nowadays. The market was not soggy from saturation. Pay-Per-View was a different beast. So it was OK that every match wasn't Superstar Vs. Superstar (like jobber George Wells getting whipped in 3 minutes). Hogan/Bundy was great to me. I think Bundy is super underrated & should be in the HoF. Just getting to see guys like Savage & Steamboat back then was a big deal. The tag matches were fun. The boxing match was fun. The battle royal was fun.
I like WM2 & think it often gets overlooked. The commentary is what hinders it the most, using guest commentators on each broadcast team. That's no different from today: the commentary is the worst part of the show. At least on RAW & PPV.
Point was proved as WM has never again been held in multiples places at the same time.
Though the Battle Royal was good.
Three locales was a bit much...although Vince borrowed the idea from JCP and the NWA as Starrcade '85 and '86 were held simultaneously in both Greensboro and Atlanta. I think the show would have been OK if Vince held it in two locations.
Ha! This is hilarious because I had this conversation with two of my friends in person not too long ago. Complete with us having to look up not only the cards but the results from every Wrestlemania since 20. They just don't seem to matter anymore whereas growing up, 'Mania was a lot more important & memorable to us. I mean, I can remember The Barbarian taking off Tito Santana's head with a flying clothesline at Wrestlemania 6 but I can't remember who was even in the main event at Wrestlemania 24, 25 or 26. STILL. Even after looking it up not too long ago. I STILL don't remember.
Kind up sums up WWE as a whole for me lately, really.
Same here with my friends and I. I think it is simply because there are too many damn ppv shows to make you care to remember.
BTW, WrestleMania 2 aired after a few weeks on tape on CBC in Canada which is a broadcast channel that is free. It was a HUGE deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walk-In
I actually like the card a great deal. Back in those days, pro-wrestling wasn't as over-exposed as it is nowadays. The market was not soggy from saturation. Pay-Per-View was a different beast. So it was OK that every match wasn't Superstar Vs. Superstar (like jobber George Wells getting whipped in 3 minutes)
Yeah anyone who watches these shows with today's mindset won't understand how those cards were mega cards with jobber matches on them. House shows were the real meat of the business back then and jobber matches were more or less what the tv audiences saw with the exception of the rare superstar vs. superstar matches on the weekend. Then there was the monthly SNME shows that were shows that were like ppv on tv.
It is another reason why people could remember the card from top to bottom because of that business strategy.
Last edited by promoter2003 : 01-17-2013 at 11:16 PM.
I've always held the Funks vs Santana/JYD tag in high regard. Rest of the show brings the fun, only it gets lost in the shuffle when compared to the other 27 that are out there. With good reason too. Arguable in claiming the Hogan vs Bundy main event one of the lesser main events in their history. WM I had Hogan & MR. T vs PIPER & Orndorff. That was big. Major big time media behind it. The follow up was decent. Bundy didn't quite seem like a threat for Hogan though. Maybe that could be me thinking that and so be it if so.
New York portion was awful, Chicago was solid, and LA was the best portion of the three. That's how I've felt ever since I first saw the show and it remains today. I still can't believe how bad the New York card is. Savage's general goodness is the only redeeming quality. Why did Jake Roberts wrestle GEORGE WELLS on a supercard?
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WWF WrestleMania 2
WWF WrestleMania 2
Re: WWF Wrestlemania 2
. Not so much this year so far, but yeah.
. UPDATE (09/04/2013): Weekly Wrestling Roundup Episode 74 & 75!!!
