Thirty-one years ago on March 31, Vince McMahon presented WrestleMania
Vince McMahon is a man who takes risks. And there may be no greater chance that the WWE boss took than the one he did in 1985.
The Chairman risked it all on an event called WrestleMania.
As Jim Ross wrote before WrestleMania 30:
When Vince McMahon created the concept, many pro wrestling promoters around the world thought that the brash -- albeit brilliant -- entrepreneur had essentially signed his own bankruptcy papers. WM I was the ultimate calculated risk, as McMahon has often said. In truth, the future of the WWE -- known as the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) during these early days -- was heavily mortgaged on WM being a huge hit.
If WM had failed, the future of WWE was bleak. Rival promoters were pulling for WrestleMania to fail.
That didn't happen.
The main event for WrestleMania -- named by veteran ring announcer Howard Finkel -- was a tag-team match between Mr. T and and Hulk Hogan against Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
Star power? Muhammad Ali was the guest referee. Billy Martin the ring announcer, and Liberace the guest time-keeper. Cyndi Lauper also had a huge role in the first event of what has become WWE's iconic franchise.
As Ross wrote after speaking to Roddy Piper, who died in 2015, "I realized with Cyndi Lauper and all the MTV stars shouting my name, saying 'Hogan's going to get you, Piper,' that we were getting a lot of attention," Piper told Ross before WrestleMania 30.
"But it was not until Geraldine Ferraro (who was running at that time for vice president) and Dr. Ruth Westheimer said, 'Roddy Piper, you're not fit to wear a dress!'"
"That's when it clicked. Yeah, we're mainstream."
[pullquote align="center"]When Vince McMahon created the concept, many pro wrestling promoters around the world thought that the brash -- albeit brilliant -- entrepreneur had essentially signed his own bankruptcy papers. WM I was the ultimate, calculated risk as McMahon has often said. In truth, the future of the WWE -- known as the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) during these early days -- was heavily mortgaged on WM being a huge hit. If WM had failed, the future of WWE was bleak. Rival promoters were pulling for WrestleMania to fail. That didn't happen.[/pullquote]
