WWE The Big Event (1986)

The Big Event

August 28, 1986

Exhibition Stadium - Toronto, Ontario

74,000 in Attendance

"He said Toronto! Yaaaaayyyy!!!!" - The Rock

The baseball stadium did bring a welcomed bit of variety.

How the hell are they supposed to call the action from there.

 The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell and B. Brian Blair) defeated Jimmy Jack Funk and Hoss Funk (with Jimmy Hart)

Towards the end of the match, The Killer Bees put on masks to confuse the ref as to who was the legal man. Not really a good guy move, but whatever.

The Magnificent Muraco (with Mr. Fuji) fought Haku to a time-limit draw

My feelings exactly.

 Ted Arcidi defeated Tony Garea

It's like a fantasy matchup I would have made with my generic dollar store wrestling figures.

Junkyard Dog defeated Adrian Adonis (with Jimmy Hart)

For some reason Junkyard Dog attacked his opponent with a chain during the match. Again, not really a good guy move. But even stranger, the ref allowed it.

Bobby Heenan, King Kong Bundy, and Big John Studd defeated Lou Albano and The Machines (Super Machine and Big Machine) (with Giant Machine)

Yeah, let's put Andre the Giant, the most impressive looking athlete ever, in a mask.

Ricky Steamboat defeated Jake Roberts

The only match worth watching.

Billy Jack Haynes defeated Hercules Hernandez

CLAP----OFF!!!

 The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques and Raymond) defeated The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake)

Why is everyone wearing the exact same gear?

Harley Race defeated Pedro Morales

Give 'em a break; they're old.

Hulk Hogan (c) defeated Paul Orndorff (with Bobby Heenan)

Who says Hogan has a limited move-set?

Decision:

One good match. The rest was fluff. And not even entertaining fluff. A bunch of generic characters doing very little to set themselves apart. The lone star belongs to Ricky and Jake. I can't wait to see what else these guys have to show me in the years to follow.

1 out of 5 stars

WWE WrestleMania 2 (1985)

Originally posted on CooleyChi.com

WrestleMania 2
April 7, 1986
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Uniondale, New York
Rosemont Horzion - Rosemont, Illinois
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena - Los Angeles, California
40,085 in Attendance (Combined)

Prologue

The gimmick behind this WrestleMania is that it took place in 3 different arenas, one hour each. The crowd got to see one hour live and the other two on the screens. Unlike WrestleMania 1, this one was on Pay-Per-View

New York

This section had the announcing team of Vince McMahon (whose announcing I can't stand) and Susan Saint James (some actress?).

How elegant?

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff vs The Magnificent Don Muraco (with Mr. Fuji) results in a double count out: This match was boring and short, with an unsatisfying ending. The crowd felt the same and chanted "Bulls hit" at the end. 

Macho Man Randy Savage (with Ms. Elizabeth) defends the InterContinental Title against George "The Animal" Steel: Think CM Punk vs Tensai. Weird match. George kept biting Macho Man, and even tried to eat the turnbuckle. Macho Man hit the flying elbow, but George kicked out. Macho rolled him up and used the ropes as leverage, securing the win.

Dat hair

Dat elbow

Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeats George Wells via pinfall: Another snoozer. Jake wins with the DDT. Then adds insult to injury by choking him with a live python. Where was PETA then?

Dat's nasty

Mr. T defeats Rowdy Roddy Piper in a boxing match via disqualification: This was actually a decent looking boxing match, with both fighters looking tired and hurt by the 4th round. Piper must have forgot that you can't body slam in boxing.

Chicago
We switch gears to what is now known as the Allstate Arena for the second hour of WrestleMania. This one is called by the fantastic Gorilla Monsoon, with help from "Mean" Gene Okerland and another actress I don't know by the name of Cathy Lee Crosby. This crowd seemed more excited.

The Fabulous Moolah defended the Women's Championship against Velvet McIntyre via pinfall: This match lasted all of a minute and 25 seconds, kind of like today's Divas matches.

Dat cover

Corporal Kirchner defeated Nikolai Volkoff (with Freddie Blassie) in a flag match: I don't know.

André the Giant defeated 19 other participants by last eliminating Bret Hart in a Battle Royal: The Fridge got the loudest pop. The match was kind of a mess, as to be expected with sports stars in the ring. Still, entertaining. It's amazing that you can fill a ring with huge wrestlers and football players and André still towers over all.
The other participants were Jimbo Covert (NFL player - Chicago Bears), Pedro Morales, Tony Atlas, Ted Arcidi, Harvey Martin (Former NFL player - Dallas Cowboys), Danny Spivey, Hillbilly Jim, King Tonga, The Iron Sheik, Ernie Holmes (Former NFL player - Pittsburgh Steelers), B. Brian Blair, Jim Brunzell, Big John Studd, Bill Fralic (NFL player - Atlanta Falcons), Jim Neidhart, Russ Francis (NFL player - San Francisco 49ers), Bruno Sammartino, and William "Refrigerator" Perry (NFL player - Chicago Bears).

André with the Hitman

The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) (with Ozzy Osbourne and Lou Albano) defeated The Dream Team (Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) (with Johnny Valiant) for the Tag Team Championship: Too… many… matches.

Los Angeles
The announcing team here was Jesse Ventura, Lord Alfred Hayes, and Elvira (Hey, I know her).

Not weird

Ricky Steamboat defeated Hercules Hernandez: Ricky has become my favorite wrestler of this era. I've never been so late to a party.

Adrian Adonis (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Uncle Elmer: Who now?

Now this is weird

Terry Funk and Hoss Funk (with Jimmy Hart) defeated Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana: This was a fine match. The JYD didn't get too much time to shine thought. And, unfortunately, no juke.

DAT'S CHEATING!!!

Hulk Hogan defeated King Kong Bundy (with Bobby Heenan) in a steel cage to retain the Heavyweight Championship: King Kong Bundy is the coolest looking thing. He's like from another planet.

Dat bird's-eye

Grade
This WrestleMania was too chaotic. And unlike the previous, had nearly no interviews. Celebrity commentators were horrible. Matches were short, and quality was low.
2 out of 5 stars

WWE The Wrestling Classic (1985)

The Wrestling Classic

November 7, 1985

Rosemont Horizon - Rosemont, Illinois

14,000 in Attendance

A tournament!!!
This has to be good!
Right?
Wrong!

There really is very little to get excited about with this one. Tons of boring matches with screwy finishes. There was so little to note, that there really isn't a lot to post about.

There's your bracket with all the results and--- who cares?

Is that better or worse than 1080P?

Dat class.

A bracket flanked by a pretty lady in a tablecloth with a pointer!?!?

The WWE sure knows its audience.

Miss Elizabeth drew a name that Macho Man wasn't happy about. 

"Can't do anything right!"

That moment when you forget the name of the football team you're shouting out to.

"And also... congratulations to the... Chicago..."

Here's an idea: Let's give away a Rolls Royce via mail-in entry. Then let's have members of the accounting agency responsible for the contest have a few words in the ring before the main event. Wouldn't it be neat if the winner was from Illinois? He is? That's great! Maybe he is in attendance. Does anyone know if he's here? Anyone? Maybe?

Besides the tournament there was a championship match between the Hulkster and Piper. At one point Piper brought in a chair, but with the ref knocked out, Hulk used it to his advantage. Kind of curious for his character. The match ended with Bob Orton interrupting the match. So many lame finishes.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this show is that it is the first event held at the Rosemont Horizon (now known as the Allstate Arena). This venue would become one of the favorites for wrestlers, as the crowd is always extremely hot and vocal, and I can vouch for that having first-hand experience. They were great even for this show. We will see many more great moments from this building.

Decision:

Really a pretty boring affair. A huge step down from WrestleMania. The matches all seemed to blend together and too many funny finishes ruined the drama. The production was decent, better than the competition, but not by much.

1 out of 5 stars

WWE WrestleMania (1985)

(Originally posted on CooleyChi)

WrestleMania 1
March 31, 1985

Madison Square Garden - New York, New York 

19,121 in Attendance

Prologue
I was only 4 days old. How the hell should I know?

The Matches

• Tito Santino defeats The Executioner via submission: I don't know either of these guys.
• King Kong Bundy (accompanied by Jimmy Hart) defeats Special Delivery Jones via pinfall: Cool promo from Jones. Then Bundy enters. The first time I've ever seen him. Wow! What a look. Super imposing. The match is a squash which officially lasts 9 seconds (but was actually 24). Evidently, a record. Daniel Bryan shouldn't feel so bad.

King Kong Bundy. Awesome.

• Ricky Steamboat defeats Matt Borne via pinfall: First time I've watched Ricky Steamboat. I can see why he is considered a legend. Great look, great athleticism, great ring-work. 

Ricky Steamboat. I think this is who my dad wanted to look like.

• David Sammartino (accompanied by father, Bruno Sammartino) vs Brutus Beefcake (accompanied by Johnny Valiant) results in a double disqualification: Didn't hold my attention, until the managers got involved. Bruno got a major pop (He held the WWF title for 11 years over 2 reigns).
• The Junkyard Dog defeats Intercontinental Champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (accompanied by Jimmy Hart) via disqualification: Valentine rolled up Junkyard and got a 3 count with a little help from the ropes. Then Santino came out to explain to the ref that Valentine cheated. The ref restarted the match, but Valentine wouldn't come back to the ring. Junkyard wins by count-out, but doesn't get the title. 

A pre-match Juke.

• Nikolai Volkoff and Iron Sheik (accompanied by Freddie Blassie) defeat The U.S. Express (Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham) (accompanied by Lou Albano) for the Tag Team Championship via pinfall: The foreigners won by shenanigans. All the 'Mericans were upset.
• Andre The Giant defeats Big John Studd (accompanied by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan) via body slam: A gimmick match. Big John and Heenan put up $15,000 in cash as a prize for Andre if he could body slam Big John. If he failed to, he would be forced to retire. Slow, dull match. Andre slams Big John out of nowhere. Andre starts to toss the cash to the fans, until Heenan grabs the bag and makes his escape.



What a sweet duffel bag.

• Wendi Richter (accompanied by Cyndi Lauper) defeats Leilani Kai (accompanied by The Fabulous Moolah) for the Women's Championship: Surprisingly, a pretty good match. Wendi had some nice moves that I've never seen from any of the current Divas. Was Moolah ever young?
• WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (accompanied by Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka) defeat Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff (accompanied by Cowboy Bob Orton (Randy's dad)) via pinfall in a tag-team match with special referee Muhammad Ali: Every match I've see with Hogan is more about theatrics than wrestling, which is okay. The crowd was super hot for this one. Ali played the role of enforcer, while Pat Patterson was the regular ref. A long match. Kind of sloppy, as could be expected when actors are involved. Monsoon and Ventura sell it well.

Celebrities

Billy Martin (Yankees manager/player)

Liberace danced with The Rockettes. People loved it.

Jose Torres (Boxer)

Observations
Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon make an awesome commentating team. Especially Monsoon; he's like a really good baseball announcer. Great voice. Great coverage of the action. Ventura was like Booker T at half speed.
The Garden was a logical choice. Classic venue. Hot crowd.

Grade
I actually enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Really impressed by King Kong Bundy, Ricky Steamboat and Wendi Richter. Junkyard Dog and Special Delivery Jones were too cool. The WWF kept emphasizing that this was the biggest event in wrestling history, and it felt like it.
3 out of 5 stars