Mania Memories: Proof Sequels Aren't Better

Bundy vs. Hogan (WWE)

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

I think of all the Wrestlemanias, the second installment of the show may have been one of the worst.  It's the only Wrestlemania in the nearly 30 year history of the event to be held on a Monday.  It's also the only Mania to broadcast from three different arenas in three different states (New York, Illinois, and California).

Wrestlemania 2 was also the most packed with "celebrity" appearances.  Because there were three different venues, each one had guest ring announcers, time keepers, and commentators.  We got some of the "flavor of the month" stars like Herb from Burger King (who remembers him?), Clara Peller (Where's the Beef?), and Cathy Lee Crosby from That's Incredible.  There was also a battle royal featuring six NFL football players, along with a handful of celebrity referees.

George Wells and Damien

I don't want to beat up Wrestlemania 2 too badly.  But with matches like George Wells vs. Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Uncle Elmer vs. Adrian Adonis, and Hercules vs. Ricky Steamboat; it's easy to see how this could be panned by some critics.  Of course, the original Mania had some squash matches too, but this was the follow up, this should have taken it a step up.  I've read that Steamboat was originally supposed to wrestle Bret Hart (according to the book Hitman, so take it for what it's worth).  I think that match would have totally stolen the show.

The Bulldogs reign supreme

I think the highlight of Wrestlemania 2 for me was the British Bulldogs winning the world tag team titles from Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake.  The Bulldogs are my all time favorite team, and seeing how hard they'd worked to get to that match and then finally win the gold was truly a mark out moment for me.  They had not just Capt. Lou Albano in their corner, but celebrity rocker Ozzy Osbourne as well.  Of course, I was 13 at the time, so Hulk Hogan beating King Kong Bundy in that classic blue steel cage match was also a favorite moment of mine.

Savage comes crashing down

I also liked it when Roddy Piper got disqualified in his boxing match with Mr. T.  Although I wasn't the biggest Hot Rod fan at the time, I wasn't crazy about Mr. T's involvement for a second year in a row, and in a boxing match no less.  Randy Savage made his Wrestlemania debut on the card by pinning George "The Animal" Steele.  Again, not a great match considering this was for the Intercontinental title, but Savage and Steele were engaged in a feud not just for the belt, but the affection of Miss Elizabeth.  Savage of course won on both accounts.

Andre dumps the Foundation

Andre the Giant reigned supreme in the battle royal, last dumping the Hart Foundation to the arena floor at the Rosemont Horizon.  As much hype as the football players got leading up to this battle royal, I thought for sure William "the Refrigerator" Perry would have lasted a lot longer.  Instead, he was eliminated by Big John Studd, which I then thought might lead to some sort of follow up angle, but this was in a time before weekly multi-hour shows and monthly pay per views (in fact, Wrestlemania was it), so I guess they ended it that night.

I'm curious to hear what you thought of the second Wrestlemania.  Where do you rank it in comparison to other shows?  Post your thoughts here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook wall.

The Wrestlemania of Football

Courtesy: The Bleacher Report

Since it's Super Bowl Sunday, a day I like to call the Wrestlemania of football, I thought I'd look at some of the past relationships between the NFL and pro wrestling.

Wrestlemania 2: Probably one of the first major football/wrestling angles involved William "the Refrigerator" Perry and company in the Wrestlemania 2 battle royal.  It pitted a group of players, (including Perry, Harvey Martin, Ernie Holmes, Bill Fralic, Russ Francis, and Jimbo Covert) against a variety of mid card WWF superstars (including the Killer Bees, Hart Foundation, and Bruno Sammartino) and the eventual winner of the event Andre the Giant.
As a preteen at the time not and fulling understanding the workings of the business, I expected The Fridge to win this.  After all, he was a Super Bowl champion, very popular, and the event was in Chicago. I was more than a little surprised to see him eliminated so soon in the match.

Perry would eventual go on to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (celebrity wing) over Wrestlemania 22 weekend in Chicago.  I was there for the induction, as John Cena did the honors.  I actually thought Cena's speech was pretty clever and entertaining.

Courtesy: WWE

Wrestlemania 11: Unless I'm forgetting something, without a doubt the biggest NFL vs. Wrestling angle involved Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow.  The two had gotten into an "altercation" at the 1995 Royal Rumble.  Taylor was in the front row and mocked Bam Bam after his lose (I think) and Bigelow shoved the NFL great.  That esclated and led us to a battle at Wrestlemania 11.

The match was the last one on the card with Taylor going over.  By this time, I was in college and had smartened up.  But again, I was surprised to see the football player go over this time.  Especially considering Vince would let his guys look bad against new comers from opposing companies.  At least that seemed to be the mentality.

I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of "celebrity" wrestling appearances.  But if they're done correctly it's okay.  I think these two examples were fine.  But when Steve "Mongo" McMichael got involved, that's where I wanted to beat my head against the wall.

Courtesy: the Bleacher Report

McMichael's involvement in wrestling started with the whole Taylor Bigelow match at Wrestlemania.  If I remember correctly, he was in LT's corner with a handful of other players.  Later that year, McMichael showed up as an announcer on WCW Monday Nitro.  Listening to that man talk made me want to puncture my ear drums.

Then he transitioned into the ring and eventually became a member of the 4 Horsemen.  I still maintain he's the least deserving member to ever enter that group.  McMichael would also capture the WCW U.S. title.  I think he might have won it a couple of times.

But let me say that my dislike for him probably has nothing to do with him being a football player.  I just thought he was horrible on the announcing.  He was alright in the ring, nothing really stood out.  So I guess I'll stop the bashing now.

Kevin Greene also got involved in an angle with WCW and McMichael.  The late, great Walter Payton was in Razor Ramon's corner one year at SummerSlam.  And who can forget about PacMan Jones and his run as a coholder of the TNA tag team titles.

So while you're cheering for the Packers or the Steelers today, just remember we're only 56 days away from Wrestlemania.  Looking forward to it.

Thanks for reading, and check out My 1-2-3 Cents on YouTube too.