sek69 Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 I previously watched WM3, since it had a special meaning for me (I started watching the WWF during the build up), and it prompted me to track down some of the shows I haven't seen. Following that track I just watched Wrestlemania I for the first time, and I was amazed at how bad it was. I don't just mean in a "watching 1985 style wrestling in 2005" way, I mean in how shoddy the show was. Right from the start, they had Vince doing a voiceover listing the card while they showed photos, and the photo they had for the Executioner was decidedly not Buddy Rose under a mask. The actual Excecutioner looked like they told Buddy about 5 minutes before the show that he had to come up with a gimmick since he had black tape covering the "ROSE" on his boots and an ill-fitting mask to go with his ring gear that looked like a ninja halloween costume withthe sleeves cut off. That leads into the next gripe, outside of the main event and the women's title match, all the matches seem to be just random people thrown together rather than the blowoff matches to major feuds like WM is known for today. Having seen David Sammartino in action, I can say Bruno has no case if he still thinks it's Vince's fault he didn't become a star. When Brutus Beefcake is carrying your match, it's time to consider a new career path. Another thing that leapt to mind, no matter how bad the brainless bimbos they have doing interviews on RAW are, they still are better than Lord Alfred Hayes was here. Maybe he was nervous or drunk, but Lord Al managed to botch his lines almost every time, and most of the time all he was doing was just bridging in between matches. Speaking of announcers, it was pretty weird hearing Gorilla Monsoon constantly referred to as "Gino". I thought he was always referred to as Gorilla, but everyone was calling him Gino despite the on screen graphics calling him Gorilla. The women's match was funny, since you had Moolah who was merely in her 60s at this point, managing Leilani Kai who's the female version of the Iron Sheik when it comes to the Most Obvious Placeholder Champion ever. The main event was actually pretty good, as Mr. T held his own, but I still think that a Hogan-Piper main event would have been a better main event. Historically it's an important show, but I don't see how this show made Vince think that Wrestlemania 2 should be even bigger across 3 venues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted March 13, 2005 Report Share Posted March 13, 2005 It was a unique card more than a great card. I think people expect more because of the Wrestlemania concept, but back then, it was basically taking the Mr. T crossover and forming a match, and just running a basic undercard. The Wendi Richter/Cyndi Lauper stuff was legitimately huge at the time, and Andre has his own appeal. I don't think Vince and Co. expected the rest of the card to be more than it was. Speaking of announcers, it was pretty weird hearing Gorilla Monsoon constantly referred to as "Gino". I thought he was always referred to as Gorilla, but everyone was calling him Gino despite the on screen graphics calling him Gorilla. He was known as Gorilla of course. But announcers did refer to Gorilla as Gino quite often, throughout the 80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 I've watched WWF since the end of 86/early 87 and I never remembered hearing Gorilla being called by any other name. Could just be my 8 year old mark-mode brain just skipped over it. As far as the card goes, yeah I know it was pretty much just the Rock N' Wrestling stuff, but you'd think they would have put on some better undercard matches to try to grab some of the first time fans that were watching. I mean, it's not like it didn't help usher in a huge boom period anyway, I was just surprised Vince just didn't load up both barrels for his first big chance. The poor production value was suprising too. Yeah it was 1985 but the NWA's shows around the same time smoked the WWF in production. That reminds me, if they really wanted to go all out on the nostalgia at WM XX, they should have brought back the old MSG boom mike lowered from the ceiling. You don't get more old school than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Ventura often called Gorilla "Gino", but not so much Heenan. WM I is definitely one of the worst WM's, but look at all that HOF talent. IT'S STACKED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted March 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Speaking of old WMs, is there a way to get those two "Tagged Classics" sets (WM 1&2 and 3&4) they released in the UK without having to pay a zillion dollars for them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Some Guy Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 I've watched WWF since the end of 86/early 87 and I never remembered hearing Gorilla being called by any other name. Could just be my 8 year old mark-mode brain just skipped over it. As far as the card goes, yeah I know it was pretty much just the Rock N' Wrestling stuff, but you'd think they would have put on some better undercard matches to try to grab some of the first time fans that were watching. I mean, it's not like it didn't help usher in a huge boom period anyway, I was just surprised Vince just didn't load up both barrels for his first big chance. I don't think WWF really cared about workrate in 1985. I think they wanted to showcase their stars, hence the Tito, Bundy, and Steamboat squash matches. The show was a vehivle to get Hogan over and show off their talent to a huge audience and it worked. I agree that their production values sucked but by WM 4 they were blowing away JCP/WCW and really never looked back. I agree with you about bringing back the MSG mic that came down from the ceiling for WM 20, for some reason I always thought it was cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dazed Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Speaking of old WMs, is there a way to get those two "Tagged Classics" sets (WM 1&2 and 3&4) they released in the UK without having to pay a zillion dollars for them? PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cam Chaos Posted March 16, 2005 Report Share Posted March 16, 2005 I'd have offered my services as resident UK NMBer but it seems Dazed has beat me to the punch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bruiser Chong Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Are we talking the legit Region 2 releases? If so, sign me up for all of the Tagged Classics. If not, I was never here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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