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World Wrestling Federation (WWF) Owner Vince McMahon put all his eggs in one basket and bet the house on WrestleMania 1 with his star attraction, Hulk Hogan, teaming up with Mr. T to take on Paul Orndorff and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in the main event. It was a mega-show with a bevy of celebrity stars to help give it credibility and it proved to be a smashing success that helped turn the company into the sports entertainment conglomerate it would soon become.
McMahon, always one to push the envelope and think outside the box, decided to get extra creative for his second WrestleMania show. And so, on this date in WWF history (April 7, 1986), WrestleMania 2 took place at three different venues in three different cities with three different main events with three different undercards with three different announce teams all in the same night.
Site one:
Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
City: Uniondale, New York
Announce team: Vince McMahon and Susan Saint James
Main event: Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper in a boxing match
Undercard: Paul Orndorff vs. The Magnificent Muraco, Randy Savage vs. George Steele, Jake Roberts vs. George Wells
Site two:
Venue: Rosemont Horizon
City: Rosemont, Illinois (billed as Chicago)
Announce team: Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund, and Cathy Lee Crosby
Main event: 20-man battle royal (Won by Andre the Giant)
Undercard: The Fabulous Moolah vs. Velvet McIntyre, Corporal Kirchner vs. Nikolai Volkoff, British Bulldogs vs. Dream Team
Site three:
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
City: Los Angeles, California
Announce team: Jesse Ventura, Lord Alfred Hayes, and Elvira
Main event: Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match
Undercard: Ricky Steamboat vs. Hercules, Adrian Adonis vs. Uncle Elmer, Terry Funk and Hoss Funk vs. Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana
This event was loaded with celebrities in each city, as has been the case for nearly every WrestleMania from the inaugural show up to this year's event, but this one was historic for a few other reasons, most notably the fact that it was the first WrestleMania to be shown on pay-per-view and it was the only time a WrestleMania took place on a Monday.
And, of course, the only WrestleMania that spanned the entire country and spread the company as thin as could be with its biggest show of the year.
Here's the finish to the main event that made the poster, the true main event of the evening, Hogan vs. Bundy:
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And now, from the desk of our CSS Asst. to the GM & Senior Editor, for your pleasure, we bring to you additional posts dusted off from the --
7 - APRIL
CSS ARCHIVES
7 April 2012
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7 April 2011
- The New WWE - Not Bigger, Badder, Better, Just With More Focus On The E by Keith Harris Apr 7, 2011 7:28 PM CDT - 7 comments
- Connecting the dots: Did WWE have another reason for firing Finlay? by bix Apr 7, 2011 3:57 PM CDT - 3 comments
- Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Pre-Fight Interviews by Kaleb Kelchner Apr 7, 2011 9:00 AM CDT
7 April 2010
- Lance Storm needs to realize that TNA's reckless stupidity is no match for WWE's shady callous nature by Keith Harris Apr 7, 2010 5:44 PM CDT - 2 comments
- TNA Impact permanently moving to earlier timeslot, adds "official" Thursday replay by bix Apr 7, 2010 4:58 PM CDT - 1 comment