WrestleMania History
WrestleMania 2: Caged Heat
By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM! Wrestling
WrestleMania. It is the most distinguished event in pro wrestling. Simply
put, it is the show of shows. The brainchild of Vince McMahon Jr., the first
WrestleMania, broadcast in 1985, expanded the pay-per-view market (along with closed circuit TV) and added a
whole new dimension to the industry as a whole. So influential was
McMahon's venture that the business of pro-wrestling now is almost entirely
built around pay-per-view broadcasts.
If you're like us at SLAM! Wrestling, every year you like to refresh your
memory and once again experience those WrestleMania moments that are an
essential part of why you remain a devout wrestling fan. You dust off those
tapes, DVDs or that Best Of WrestleMania tape you dubbed on your own and
distributed to the other members of the office staff, slam them into the
player and transport yourself back in time. To help guide you along your
journey and celebrate the history of WrestleMania, SLAM! Wrestling will be
publishing a WrestleMania review each and every day (Monday to Friday) leading up to the big
show. We invite you to come along for the ride and share in your favourite
moments too. The events are rated as Poor, Average, Good and Excellent.
WrestleMania 2: Caged Heat
History Of WrestleMania
Date: April 7, 1986.
Place: The Nassau Coliseum, The Rosemont Horizon and The Los Angeles Sports Arena.
Hogan, Bundy battle in their WM 2 cage match.
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Vince McMahon gambles Big Time. Taking the WrestleMania idea one step
further, the WWF broadcasts the event from three separate locations. The
massive undertaking is impressive.
Barring two or three of the bouts, each match is the culmination of an
on-going feud which boosted the interest level at the time. Bobby Heenan and his
stable have been targeting Hogan for months. Consumed by his desire to
either take the WWF World Title away from Hogan or to put him out of the
business permanently, Heenan released his hounds on Hulk-A-Mania. The
biggest blow comes when along with "The Magnificent Muraco", Bundy
repeatedly splashed Hogan breaking his ribs. To exact revenge on the
Walking Condominium, Hogan lures him into a Steel Cage title match at
WrestleMania. The introduction of the "family friendly" steel cage with the
fencing being replaced by thick bars is a downer though both Bundy and
Hogan blade in the main event. A pretty solid card highlighted by a wicked
WWF World Tag Team Title match between Beefcake - Valentine and The British
Bulldogs.
Favourite Moments: George Wells spitting bile as Roberts wraps a snake
around his neck. The finish of the tag title match. Andre dominating the
battle royal. Terry Funk at a WrestleMania, the last time he ever teamed with his brother. Bundy steamrollering Hogan in a
cage.
Least Favourite Moments: The Boxing Match. The ending of the Muraco -
Orndorff match. Adrian Adonis' gimmick.
Rating: Excellent.
WrestleMania 2 Results
Match | Winner(s) |
| 1. Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff vs "The
Magnificent" Don Muraco |
Double DQ. |
| 2. George "The Animal"
Steele vs Randy "Machoman" Savage (Intercontinental Title) |
Randy "Macho Man"
Savage. |
| 3. Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs George
Wells |
Jake "The Snake" Roberts. |
| 4. Mr.T vs "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (Boxing Match) |
Mr. T. |
| 5. "The Fabulous" Moolah vs Velvet
McIntyre (Women's Title) |
"The Fabulous" Moolah. |
| 6. 20-Man Battle Royal |
Andre The
Giant. |
| 7. Corporal Kirshner vs Nikolai
Volkoff (Flag Match) |
Corporal Kirshner. |
| 8. The British Bulldogs vs Brutus
Beefcake / Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (Tag Team Title) |
The British
Bulldogs. |
| 9. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs Hercules Hernandez |
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. |
| 10. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis vs Uncle Elmer |
"Adorable" Adrian
Adonis. |
| 11. The Funk Brothers (Dory / Terry) vs The Junkyard Dog
/ Tito Santana |
The Funk Brothers. |
| 12. Hulk Hogan vs King Kong
Bundy (World Title - Cage Match) |
Hulk Hogan. |
