January 7, 1985
Attempting to broaden access to his product, Vince McMahon has come to terms with cable network USA to air
Prime Time Wrestling in addition to the
Tuesday Night Titans talk show.
Prime Time will feature studio banter between Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan, and will also include previously-recorded matches featuring some of the top performers in the WWF. The program will be fondly remembered as some of the most entertaining programming in WWF history.
But for now, less than three months before
WrestleMania, ticket sales are not yet high enough to cover the deposits on the 200 theaters Vince booked for the closed-circuit event. With time running out, Vince hires a public relations firm to help make his event a success. The firm’s first call is to MTV, who had seen its highest-ever ratings with the previous July’s
Brawl to End it All. Keen to keep the relationship going, MTV is eager to participate.
February 18, 1985
Madison Square Garden, New York
MTV agrees to air another wrestling special,
The War to Settle the Score.
To determine the #1 contender for the Tag Team Championship:
The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff defeat The Killer Bees
Broadcast on MTV, the match for the Women’s Championship:
Cyndi Lauper once again accompanies champion Wendi Richter to her match against challenger Leilani Kai. Thanks to help from her manager Moolah, Kai earns the tainted victory and the title.
Live-only matches:
For the Tag Team Championship:
The U.S. Express win the titles from Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch
Jimmy Snuka beats Bob Orton
Andre the Giant and S. D. Jones defeat Big John Studd and new partner King Kong Bundy
For the Intercontinental Championship, a 20-man battle royal:
As the exciting match nears its’ end, Tito Santana, Ricky Steamboat and the Junkyard Dog remain in the ring with champion Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake and Don Muraco. Steamboat goes over the top, followed by Beefcake. Santana is next to go, leaving JYD alone against the champion and former champion. The Dog successfully flips Muraco over the top rope, but is immediately attacked and tossed out by Valentine – who retains his title.
The main event, also broadcast on MTV:
World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan and Mr. T team up to face Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. The ever-present Cowboy Bob Orton, arm now in a cast, accompanies the villains to the ring while fan-favorite Jimmy Snuka joins the heroes. Throughout the match, Hogan carries most of the effort for the heroes. Mr. T finally rushes to Hogan’s aid after continuous double-teaming by Piper and Orndorff, which prompts Orton to enter the fray. Piper has Mr. T tied up in one corner, distracting the referee. On the other side of the ring, Orndorff has Hogan in a full-nelson. Orton climbs the ropes, attempting to smash Hogan with his cast. At the last moment, Hogan slips from the hold and Orndorff is the unwitting recipient of Orton’s blow. Hogan quickly clears Orton and Piper from the ring so Mr. T can gain the pinfall victory!
This event surpasses the ratings of the previous MTV special, so much so that MTV executives begin questioning whether they should get a bigger cut of their deal. So in the days after
The War to Settle the Score, Vince is called to a meeting with MTV executives. When they express their regret that they didn’t seek a bigger percentage of the WWF’s revenues, Vince just listens. Finally, the executives issue a one-sided ultimatum: Vince must grant MTV a percentage of the WWF’s gross sales. McMahon, ever the business man, gambles that he will no longer have a need for MTV. Vince states, “In my opinion, the WWF has been equally as good to MTV as the other way around, if not more so. If you are willing to give
me a share of MTV, we can further discuss the matter. Otherwise, I interpret this as the end of what could have been a beautiful relationship.”
March 27, 1985
New York
Vince’s PR firm books Hulk Hogan on a talk show hosted by Richard Belzer. When Belzer requests Hogan to headlock him, Hogan obliges. Before Belzer passes out, he confirms for his audience the hold (and pain) was real. Questioning John Stossel’s report from December, Belzer wonders how anyone could believe “wrestling is fake.” For Hogan’s part, he states that if he hadn’t released the hold, Belzer “probably would have passed out and split his head open on the floor.”
Meanwhile, a conversation takes place between Jim Crockett and Jim Barnett of WCW. In the call, Crockett voices his concerns about the WWF’s upcoming supercard. Barnett assures him that, if they can just unify the remaining territories, they can combat the WWF on even ground. Crockett asks about each remaining competitive territory: the WCCW in Texas, the AWA in Minnesota, the CWA in Tennessee, and Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. Barnett states that he is uncertain if any of these promoters are willing to coordinate efforts. He is especially concerned about Stampede as he has heard rumors that Stu Hart may be selling to the WWF. Barnett promises to contact Fritz Von Erich, Verne Gagne, and Jerry Lawler to ask about their willingness to join WCW.
March 30, 1985
New York
On the eve of
WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T host
Saturday Night Live. As a result of this increase in mainstream television exposure,
WrestleMania is selling out at theaters across the country.
March 31, 1985
Madison Square Garden, New York
Wrestlemania
Vince McMahon has been trying for well over a year to broaden his audience, attempting several times to broadcast his style of wrestling to a wider world. He remembers the days of his youth, and stories of wrestling dominating the tv landscape. His hope is to grow the WWF into the world-wide leader in sports entertainment. And his dream is about to come true with the inaugural event known as
WrestleMania. Loaded with celebrity appearances to draw in a non-wrestling audience, this spectacle is something to behold. The matches, though important, almost seem secondary to the fact that the event is actually happening. With such grandiosity, McMahon knows he is gambling. He doesn’t hedge his bets, and he doesn’t hesitate. His plans of a closed-circuit-tv-only event assure that the night will be profitable – in fact, the WWF earns $4 million on the event. After pillaging the other territories for top talent over the previous several months, Vince knows tonight is just the beginning…
The matches:
Ricky Steamboat defeats Brutus Beefcake
Mr. T faces off against Cowboy Bob Orton in a boxing match. Jimmy Snuka seconds Mr. T while Orton is seconded by Paul Orndorff. Orton gets knocked out in Round 2 as the crowd cheers.
For the Women’s Championship:
Wendi Richter, accompanied by Cyndi Lauper and Captain Lou Albano, defeats Leilani Kai, who is joined by former champion The Fabulous Moolah. When Moolah attempts to interfere, Lauper chases her into Albano's grasp. Albano retains Moolah while Richter earns the pinfall!
In a squash match, King Kong Bundy defeats S. D. Jones in just twenty-four seconds!
To determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship:
Don Muraco defeats long-time foe Tito Santana
For the Tag Team Championship:
The U.S. Express lose the belts to The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff when manager Classy Freddie Blassie stubs his lit cigar into the eye of Barry Windham
Jimmy Snuka, joined by fan-favorite Mr. T, loses his match to Paul Orndorff thanks to interference from Cowboy Bob Orton
For the Intercontinental Championship:
The Junkyard Dog wins the belt from Greg Valentine
After months of abuse at the hands of Big John Studd and manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Andre the Giant answers the ‘Bodyslam Challenge’ issued by the dastardly duo. If Andre can slam Studd, the match ends and Andre wins $15,000!
Studd succumbs to a slam by Andre, who gleefully tosses the cash out to the crowd. Heenan sneaks up behind Andre, grabs the duffle bag full of money, and high-tails it out of the arena.
The main event, for the World Heavyweight Championship:
Champion Hulk Hogan faces off against nemesis Rowdy Roddy Piper. Hogan is joined by Mr. T and Jimmy Snuka while Piper is accompanied by Paul Orndorff and Cowboy Bob Orton. The match is a back-and-forth affair, with the smaller Piper proving tough-as-nails. Even second “special” referee Muhammad Ali cannot keep the melee from getting out of hand. As pandemonium reigns, Paul Orndorff enters the ring with steel chair in hand. Attempting to hit Hogan, he misses and knocks Piper out. Unfortunately for Hogan, the in-ring referee witnesses the attack and incorrectly assumes Orndorff hit Piper to provide Hogan an advantage. In the first of many victories Piper will gain over Hogan, the champion leaves WrestleMania on the losing end of the fight. Luckily for Hogan, as commentator Jesse “The Body” Ventura points out during the broadcast, the title cannot change hands on a disqualification.