1 00:00:05,380 --> 00:00:06,860 Welcome! Welcome! 2 00:00:07,140 --> 00:00:11,340 Welcome! To Wrestlemania! 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:22,460 It's very rare that you meet a person who has never heard of Wrestlemania. 4 00:00:22,700 --> 00:00:29,420 AT andT Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Home to over 70 ,000 members of the WWE 5 00:00:29,420 --> 00:00:32,940 Universe. However many people the building can hold. 6 00:00:33,420 --> 00:00:36,800 That's how many people are going to be there. It's incredible that people 7 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,220 from all across the world to be part of WrestleMania. 8 00:00:39,460 --> 00:00:44,320 When you get into this business, I think the first goal that goes into your head 9 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,060 is, I want to main event WrestleMania. 10 00:00:46,420 --> 00:00:51,920 This has all of the makings of one hell of a WrestleMania match. 11 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:53,380 Oh, my gosh! 12 00:00:54,700 --> 00:00:58,480 Vince McMahon has created something that has withstood the test of time, 13 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,030 where... You kind of have to watch it because everybody's going to be talking 14 00:01:01,030 --> 00:01:04,930 about it. WrestleMania showcased the world's finest athlete and the world's 15 00:01:04,930 --> 00:01:05,930 entertaining sport. 16 00:01:06,050 --> 00:01:09,210 The Austin era has begun! 17 00:01:11,030 --> 00:01:15,150 My dad had a vision. He saw Hollywood. 18 00:01:15,550 --> 00:01:19,970 And he knew cable and he knew that that would help execute the plan to get us 19 00:01:19,970 --> 00:01:21,210 everywhere all at once. 20 00:01:21,570 --> 00:01:28,050 The date, March 31, 1985. If WrestleMania didn't work, the WWE would 21 00:01:28,050 --> 00:01:30,600 tanked. My dad literally bet the farm. 22 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,080 He mortgaged everything my parents owned. 23 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:36,960 The World Wrestling Federation outdoing itself in presenting this unbelievable 24 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:42,260 card of wrestling. WrestleMania I was a missile fired at the rest of the 25 00:01:42,260 --> 00:01:45,900 industry. I'd been in the business and I'd felt those vibes before. 26 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,060 But this was something different. Unbelievable. 27 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,940 We're seeing the greatest spectacle in wrestling history right now. There was 28 00:01:52,940 --> 00:01:56,680 electricity that just surrounded the ring. 29 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,720 Salvation as they're hanging off the rafters just here in Madison Square 30 00:02:02,740 --> 00:02:06,960 I had chill bumps up and down my arm. This is the biggest crowd in history, 1 31 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,919 million. When Hulk Hogan entered the ring, it was insanity. 32 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:12,560 You can't replicate that. 33 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:22,000 That one spectacular moment in time of WrestleMania I 34 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,000 doesn't happen. 35 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:24,740 Arguably, you could say none of this is here. 36 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,180 Because that was the launching point, and everything sprung out and happened 37 00:02:29,180 --> 00:02:32,360 from there. Now you know what it's all about, brother. Oh, boy, we're going to 38 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,880 be changing the game. What a move by Macho Man. 39 00:02:35,100 --> 00:02:37,360 He's the greatest, isn't he? Nobody like him. 40 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,960 Believer Ramon is the undisputed Intercontinental Champion. 41 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,120 The boyhood dream has come true. 42 00:02:45,620 --> 00:02:46,940 Undertaker is 18 -0. 43 00:02:47,340 --> 00:02:49,560 This is a WrestleMania moment. 44 00:02:59,850 --> 00:03:04,190 On the way to WrestleMania this past year, we were in AT andT Stadium in 45 00:03:04,390 --> 00:03:09,630 Texas. And we were driving to the stadium with the police escort and ACDC 46 00:03:09,630 --> 00:03:13,150 blaring in the car speakers. 47 00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:19,210 And I turned the radio down and asked Vince, is this what it was like 38 years 48 00:03:19,210 --> 00:03:25,310 ago as you made your way to Madison Square Garden, not knowing whether you 49 00:03:25,310 --> 00:03:26,910 be in business the next day? 50 00:03:28,430 --> 00:03:32,990 Greetings, wrestling fans, and welcome to another action -packed card of all 51 00:03:32,990 --> 00:03:35,970 -star wrestling promoted by Phil Zacco. 52 00:03:36,510 --> 00:03:38,850 Before WrestleMania I, there were territories. 53 00:03:39,310 --> 00:03:43,870 Our territory was Monday night, the Memphis Coliseum, Tuesday night, 54 00:03:43,870 --> 00:03:46,390 Gardens, Wednesday night, Evansville, Indiana. 55 00:03:46,910 --> 00:03:50,210 You know what? It's just like E .L. Putnam, baby. When Jimmy Hart talks, 56 00:03:50,410 --> 00:03:52,410 everybody listens. You understand that? 57 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:59,400 WWE of all the regional territories was geographically the largest. 58 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,040 These territories were carved out like mafia fiefdoms. 59 00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:07,040 Hello, everybody. Vince McMahon here at ringside in Madison Square Garden 60 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,400 waiting for a tremendous evening of professional wrestling. The way things 61 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:15,860 during the territory days is basically you would run your territory and the 62 00:04:15,860 --> 00:04:18,959 other folks ran their territories and there was no crossover. 63 00:04:19,300 --> 00:04:22,680 I've heard him say this a million times. If my dad had known what I was going to 64 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,540 do with the business, he would have never sold it to me. Vince McMahon back 65 00:04:26,540 --> 00:04:29,460 was a young, little wobbly -dobbly. 66 00:04:30,390 --> 00:04:35,250 Promoter. And I remember the story of my grandfather speaking to my dad and 67 00:04:35,250 --> 00:04:40,190 saying, Vinny, Vinny, why do you have to rock the boat, Vinny? My dad likes to 68 00:04:40,190 --> 00:04:42,330 rock the boat in case anyone hasn't noticed. 69 00:04:42,850 --> 00:04:48,050 Vince McMahon decided to go ahead, violate all the gentleman's agreements 70 00:04:48,050 --> 00:04:52,450 his father subscribed to, and just go nationally and pay people money. 71 00:04:52,670 --> 00:04:54,650 That was criminal in people's minds. 72 00:04:55,310 --> 00:04:57,430 Everybody looked at it as freaking Vince McMahon. 73 00:04:57,730 --> 00:05:01,490 He's trying to take over the world. He's trying to put us all out of business. 74 00:05:01,770 --> 00:05:06,210 Vince became probably the most hated man in the history of our business. 75 00:05:06,430 --> 00:05:10,630 He had death threats against him. He was buying all the top stars. 76 00:05:11,030 --> 00:05:14,610 Jesse the body of Ventura. The Junkyard Dog. 77 00:05:15,210 --> 00:05:17,490 It is Sergeant Slaughter. 78 00:05:18,190 --> 00:05:21,530 Rowdy, rowdy, pipe fur. 79 00:05:25,220 --> 00:05:31,340 From Venice Beach, California, Hulk Hogan. Take a look 80 00:05:31,340 --> 00:05:38,080 at the immense proportion of Hulk Hogan. The wrestling business really needed an 81 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:39,080 attraction. 82 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:45,840 There'd been some history between Vince and James McMahon and Hulk Hogan. Hogan 83 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:51,700 was firmly entrenched in the AWA, the rival wrestling promotion in 84 00:05:52,540 --> 00:05:55,360 and Vince McMahon had just started a magazine. 85 00:05:55,580 --> 00:06:02,060 Steve Taylor, who was the photographer for WWE's magazine, was dispatched to 86 00:06:02,060 --> 00:06:08,500 Minneapolis to an AWA show. He walks up to Hulk Hogan, slips him a little piece 87 00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:12,060 of paper with Vince McMahon's phone number on it. 88 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:14,700 You handed me a card. I said, call Vince. 89 00:06:15,420 --> 00:06:18,140 I said, okay, I'll give him a call and see what's up, because I like Vince. 90 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,440 I'm going to the top of the ladder, and I thank each and every one of you. When 91 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:27,620 Vince started talking to me, I knew with the momentum I had, if I could pull the 92 00:06:27,620 --> 00:06:33,320 same plug in New York, it would be worth going back, and it was basically the 93 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:34,320 perfect storm. 94 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:38,640 A lot of people believed that without Hulk Hogan, there wouldn't have been a 95 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:44,460 WWE. America needed a hero they could believe in. It needed a superhero, and 96 00:06:44,460 --> 00:06:47,900 needed a live superhero that was tangible and right in front of them. 97 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:50,240 He just needed to find the right one. 98 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:57,100 Bob Backlund had been a dependable champion, a highly athletic champion. 99 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:05,440 But he didn't have the razzle -dazzle, the color that Vince McMahon was looking 100 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:10,260 for. Crowd cheering for you and getting behind you, it makes you reach down and 101 00:07:10,260 --> 00:07:15,540 get something extra to maybe win that match. It really made it easy to go from 102 00:07:15,540 --> 00:07:17,900 black and white to full -spectrum color. 103 00:07:18,260 --> 00:07:22,260 This is a different Hulk Hogan, and Hulkamania already wasn't running wild. 104 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,180 Just check it out, man. It just turns me on, brother. 105 00:07:26,700 --> 00:07:29,640 Hulk Hogan at the time had this pristine image. 106 00:07:29,860 --> 00:07:34,760 300 pounds of solid muscle, you know, the 24 -inch python, say your prayers, 107 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,700 your vitamins, the epitome poster child of what you would put up as your 108 00:07:38,700 --> 00:07:39,860 American hero. 109 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,340 And indeed, the fans go wild every time they witness this extraordinary athlete. 110 00:07:44,580 --> 00:07:47,800 The way he could relate to the fans on talking on the mic. 111 00:07:48,270 --> 00:07:49,330 That was his attribute. 112 00:07:49,610 --> 00:07:53,370 That was his age card. Sometimes when you get on a roll, man, it seems like 113 00:07:53,370 --> 00:07:56,970 can't do nothing wrong. Whether we're talking about Rocky III, Little Skinny, 114 00:07:56,970 --> 00:08:00,450 Sylvester Stallone. The movie sure didn't hurt him at all. What a character 115 00:08:00,450 --> 00:08:05,730 played. He just had everything going for him. Hulk Hogan could ignite a room 116 00:08:05,730 --> 00:08:10,210 just by walking into it. There was nobody bigger than Hulk Hogan. 117 00:08:10,690 --> 00:08:12,910 History could be made in Madison Square Garden. 118 00:08:13,660 --> 00:08:14,660 There he is. 119 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:17,360 Hulkamania. January 1984. 120 00:08:17,980 --> 00:08:20,600 Something happened that night in Madison Square Garden. 121 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:29,320 I came through the curtain. I was spinning. 122 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:38,360 Went to the ring and pointed at the Iron Sheik. 123 00:08:40,650 --> 00:08:43,830 I could feel the volcano getting ready to explode. 124 00:08:44,210 --> 00:08:48,950 I don't know if there's ever been a more perfect good guy, bad guy situation 125 00:08:48,950 --> 00:08:52,190 than the Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan. 126 00:08:53,810 --> 00:08:58,730 You know, this is patriotism. This is Hulk Hogan with the American flag 127 00:08:58,730 --> 00:09:01,590 the most hated villain in the business. 128 00:09:02,070 --> 00:09:05,670 He'll use any means in any way in his power to win this match. 129 00:09:05,970 --> 00:09:09,190 And the fans love it. Yeah, the all -American hero. 130 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:14,380 Coming at him like a hurricane to take our people back, our country back, and 131 00:09:14,380 --> 00:09:15,380 our belt back. 132 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,560 I mean, it was a perfect storm. It does not get better than that. 133 00:09:48,750 --> 00:09:50,810 changed the wrestling world without a doubt. 134 00:09:51,890 --> 00:09:53,490 It exploded. 135 00:09:53,690 --> 00:09:55,350 It just went wild. 136 00:09:55,650 --> 00:10:00,390 It went from being a closet wrestling fan to everybody talking about how they 137 00:10:00,390 --> 00:10:01,730 were Hulkamaniacs. 138 00:10:02,190 --> 00:10:06,530 Whether you were in Chicago at the Rosemont Horizon, Philadelphia Spectrum, 139 00:10:06,590 --> 00:10:12,550 seeing the smiles on all the people's faces, this is our savior. This is our 140 00:10:12,550 --> 00:10:15,790 hero. This is the man that we bought a ticket to say we love him. 141 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,760 Paul just mesmerized you in a way that nobody else did. 142 00:10:32,220 --> 00:10:37,000 That's what it's about. What are you feeling during that moment? 143 00:10:37,340 --> 00:10:39,740 He was born to be that guy. I feel the energy. 144 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:41,440 Hulkamania is running worldwide. 145 00:10:41,940 --> 00:10:48,640 Hulkamania was without peer. To me, it was a combination of just wackiness and 146 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:54,540 mainstream star power that just somehow intersected and launched it into a 147 00:10:54,540 --> 00:10:59,200 stratosphere that nobody saw coming. One thing my father has always understood 148 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:03,640 is in order to have a successful product, you need a big star. 149 00:11:04,490 --> 00:11:07,210 There was no such thing as social media or digital. 150 00:11:07,470 --> 00:11:12,870 So how were you going to get your product, your star, in front of as many 151 00:11:12,870 --> 00:11:16,830 as possible? What were we going to hang our hat on? And that became 152 00:11:16,830 --> 00:11:17,830 WrestleMania. 153 00:11:20,290 --> 00:11:23,390 People are tuning in and turning on to cable television. 154 00:11:23,670 --> 00:11:25,770 The potential for cable TV is endless. 155 00:11:26,110 --> 00:11:31,170 Cable television arrived, and the landscape of our sport changed forever. 156 00:11:31,430 --> 00:11:35,840 Cable. It's kind of like somebody that's been blind their whole life, and then 157 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:37,520 all of a sudden you open your eyes, and you're like, oh my gosh. 158 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,940 Welcome everyone, this is Gorilla Monsoon welcoming you to the USA 159 00:11:42,340 --> 00:11:44,440 That's Jurner and know about cable TV. 160 00:11:44,810 --> 00:11:47,630 He saw that as an opportunity to expand. 161 00:11:47,870 --> 00:11:52,510 On behalf of WTBS, it's a pleasure to welcome the World Wrestling Federation. 162 00:11:53,010 --> 00:11:57,250 Exciting new matches, great competitors from all over the world. And here's the 163 00:11:57,250 --> 00:11:59,870 man to tell you all about it. Here's Vince McMahon. 164 00:12:00,130 --> 00:12:02,210 Vince? Thank you very much, Freddie. Welcome aboard. 165 00:12:02,430 --> 00:12:05,850 Thank you. It is indeed a pleasure to be associated with WTBS, and we promise to 166 00:12:05,850 --> 00:12:08,470 bring you the greatest in professional wrestling entertainment in the world 167 00:12:08,470 --> 00:12:12,310 today. I don't think my father gets enough credit for what he was able to do 168 00:12:12,310 --> 00:12:15,090 how we've been able to... to pioneer the business. 169 00:12:15,310 --> 00:12:22,090 When you look at WTBS and USA Network, they were primarily the only two 170 00:12:22,090 --> 00:12:26,850 major cable stations at the time. USA was going across the country. 171 00:12:27,110 --> 00:12:31,450 TBS was going across the country. This was totally different than what was seen 172 00:12:31,450 --> 00:12:35,230 before syndicated television, where it was just really local markets. But to 173 00:12:35,230 --> 00:12:40,570 leverage those platforms to reach as many people as possible, my dad has 174 00:12:40,570 --> 00:12:42,070 been ahead of the curve. 175 00:12:42,310 --> 00:12:43,310 All of a sudden, Vince? 176 00:12:43,390 --> 00:12:48,010 said, my TV show is showing not just in New York where I can run Madison Square 177 00:12:48,010 --> 00:12:53,910 Garden. My TV show is showing in California and it's showing in Florida 178 00:12:53,910 --> 00:12:58,310 showing all over the country. Why can't I run a live show in Los Angeles? 179 00:12:58,530 --> 00:13:02,350 Why can't I run in Miami, Florida instead of just staying in the 180 00:13:02,350 --> 00:13:03,590 that's what he started to do. 181 00:13:03,950 --> 00:13:08,030 Fans, the great stars of the World Wrestling Federation will be here. 182 00:13:08,830 --> 00:13:11,370 Vince figured all these things into the equation. 183 00:13:11,610 --> 00:13:16,270 It was the sum of all the parts. And he knew cable and he basically knew that 184 00:13:16,270 --> 00:13:19,670 that would help execute the plan to get us everywhere all at once. 185 00:13:19,990 --> 00:13:25,290 Vince McMahon has always been really good at figuring out ways to incorporate 186 00:13:25,290 --> 00:13:32,010 his product into pop culture. No better example exists than 187 00:13:32,010 --> 00:13:33,490 the relationship with MTV. 188 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,620 People ask me, you know, what was one of the biggest moments in your career? 189 00:13:40,940 --> 00:13:47,000 I would say the rocket blast off August the 1st, 1981, 12 .01 midnight, was 190 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,100 probably the biggest. 191 00:13:52,700 --> 00:13:58,720 To do that every hour at the top of the hour with the 192 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,240 whole thing still gives me cold chills. 193 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,300 MTV was really fresh back then. 194 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:07,160 And it was the hottest thing on TV. 195 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:12,900 MPV was the new kid in town and showed pretty quickly the effect it could have 196 00:14:12,900 --> 00:14:13,900 on someone's career. 197 00:14:14,260 --> 00:14:18,040 We would watch the newest videos from artists we'd never heard of. 198 00:14:18,500 --> 00:14:21,040 So we pop in the video for Cyndi Lauper. 199 00:14:26,700 --> 00:14:28,280 Girls just want to have fun. 200 00:14:28,580 --> 00:14:30,520 The whole room started having fun. 201 00:14:30,890 --> 00:14:35,410 I remember it brought us to life, and it just had this momentum, and it had this 202 00:14:35,410 --> 00:14:39,970 energy. We needed somebody in that video to play Cindy's dad. 203 00:14:40,590 --> 00:14:45,470 There was only one person that could play Cindy's dad, and that was Captain 204 00:14:45,470 --> 00:14:46,470 Albano. 205 00:14:50,270 --> 00:14:55,570 Where did she meet Captain Lou Albano? 206 00:14:55,830 --> 00:14:57,570 Oh, Captain Lou, there he is. 207 00:14:57,890 --> 00:14:59,370 I met Lou on a plane. 208 00:15:00,060 --> 00:15:04,160 Come back from Puerto Rico. And they just struck up a conversation on the 209 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:05,800 and swapped numbers. 210 00:15:06,060 --> 00:15:07,580 And that was that. 211 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,760 That's when I felt like, oh, we could do something fun. 212 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:14,960 We'll use Captain Wilbano. 213 00:15:15,620 --> 00:15:19,220 The producer of the video, a guy named Ken Walsh, knew Vince. 214 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:20,880 And he called Vince. 215 00:15:21,660 --> 00:15:27,020 And said, would it be okay if Captain Lou appeared in this new artist's video 216 00:15:27,020 --> 00:15:29,460 named Cindy Lauper and played her father? 217 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:30,680 And he said yes. 218 00:15:32,060 --> 00:15:33,780 That was the beginning. 219 00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:36,540 That was the beginning of it all. 220 00:15:37,020 --> 00:15:41,960 All of a sudden, we're seeing Captain Lou, not only with us every night, but 221 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:43,280 of a sudden, he's a music star. 222 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,840 It kind of made sense that a man with a rubber band stapled to his cheek might 223 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:54,100 be the father of that bizarre creature known as Cindy Lauper. Cindy Lauper will 224 00:15:54,100 --> 00:15:57,060 be the greatest entertainer of all time. 225 00:15:57,340 --> 00:16:01,360 Her debut album is called She's So Unusual. Would you welcome, please, 226 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:02,360 Lauper. 227 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,980 Cindy Lauper, Cindy Lauper, Cindy Lauper. All over the world you see Cindy 228 00:16:06,980 --> 00:16:08,840 Lauper. I think you dress unusual. 229 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:10,440 Really? 230 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:18,520 Look, wrestling is rock and roll, and rock and roll in a way is wrestling. 231 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:19,960 theatrical, it's entertaining. 232 00:16:20,420 --> 00:16:26,660 Why not have this bizarre mashup of this gal from Queens who had a mouth on her, 233 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,060 you know? She talks like she could maybe smack you good. 234 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:37,640 Cindy was the central figure in making this at all possible. 235 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,680 And then, of course, the rest is, as she puts it, herstory. 236 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:48,900 It was really Dave Wolf who kind of said, you know, maybe we could do a 237 00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:52,400 -promotion here. And he loved wrestling since he was a little kid. 238 00:16:53,020 --> 00:16:59,720 Here I am with Captain Lou, and we bonded from the minute we 239 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:05,339 shook hands and hugged each other and said hello. And that would grow to be 240 00:17:05,339 --> 00:17:06,880 incredible rock and wrestling connection. 241 00:17:14,750 --> 00:17:20,730 An idea to do something with world wrestling on MTV never crossed my mind, 242 00:17:20,730 --> 00:17:23,349 you would probably think it would have been obvious that it might have, but it 243 00:17:23,349 --> 00:17:26,329 didn't. Not until I saw that video with Captain Lou. 244 00:17:27,450 --> 00:17:29,890 So I arrive in New York City in 1981. 245 00:17:30,490 --> 00:17:34,050 A dear friend of mine said, you got to come to wrestling with me on Monday 246 00:17:34,050 --> 00:17:35,540 night. I'm like, what? 247 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:37,360 You've got to come to the Garden. 248 00:17:37,620 --> 00:17:42,000 There's this wrestling thing. And I go, really? I met Vince. I met the Iron 249 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:43,400 Sheik, Hulk Hogan. 250 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:48,620 And I'm mind blown by what's going on just backstage. The energy. It was a 251 00:17:48,620 --> 00:17:51,500 concert. It's like I was at a festival or something. It was crazy. 252 00:17:51,940 --> 00:17:54,080 I go, that's the MTV crowd out there. 253 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:57,320 Pandemonium and excitement here at Madison Square Garden. 254 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:06,820 Wait, what? We're going to do what now? 255 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:11,340 We are here with Captain Lou Albano and Cyndi Lauper. And that was kind of the 256 00:18:11,340 --> 00:18:12,340 ethos of MTV. 257 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:16,140 Let's do something new. Oh, yeah, let's get in bed with the WWE. 258 00:18:17,060 --> 00:18:18,340 Like, what? 259 00:18:18,740 --> 00:18:22,380 Yes, sir, history is being made. You have just tuned in to the Rock and 260 00:18:22,380 --> 00:18:24,480 Wrestling Connection right here on MTV. 261 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:29,360 And I'm your guest, VJ, the incredible Hulk Hogan. Every time I'd guest VJ with 262 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:31,440 MTV, it was something that... 263 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:33,320 Kind of like raise my stock. 264 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,240 Right here on MTV, just being here with all the rock and rollers, I'm already 265 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:39,700 wound up tight, and I want you to stick around all night long. 266 00:18:40,460 --> 00:18:46,380 MTV in 1985 is not 24 hours of teen mom and ridiculousness, okay? 267 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:49,320 This is what everyone's talking about. 268 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:50,720 I want my MTV. 269 00:18:52,180 --> 00:18:55,060 I want my MTV. 270 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:56,840 I want my MTV. 271 00:18:57,540 --> 00:18:58,840 I want my MTV. 272 00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:05,880 Everyone is watching videos on MTV, and now they can find WWE there, too. And so 273 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,980 stick around because there's a lot going down, Daddy, and there's a lot more 274 00:19:08,980 --> 00:19:14,560 video music coming up here on the MTV Rock and Roll Connection. And find MTV 275 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,160 personalities on WWE. 276 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:21,020 The greatest entertainer, pound for pound, in the world today. 277 00:19:25,660 --> 00:19:32,060 And I gotta credit Cindy's video really reignited pretty much the world's 278 00:19:32,060 --> 00:19:34,020 interest in professional wrestling. 279 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:43,740 I think I was on the phone to Vince every three days. Hey, I got an idea. 280 00:19:43,740 --> 00:19:48,960 he was searching for those mainstream ways to build wrestling. And in walks 281 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:50,860 insanity and bang, zoom. 282 00:19:51,350 --> 00:19:58,230 away we go how much do you think 283 00:19:58,230 --> 00:20:04,330 that you could bring cindy lauper on my pit why not running first time we saw 284 00:20:04,330 --> 00:20:10,290 cindy lauper in wwe was when she appeared on piper's pit ladies and 285 00:20:10,290 --> 00:20:15,190 want to introduce to you the female entertainer of the year miss cindy 286 00:20:15,190 --> 00:20:16,190 herself 287 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:25,000 Cindy Lauper just suddenly burst on the scene. You're like, what is she doing 288 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,200 here? First of all, I would like to say to you, you look wonderful, Cindy. 289 00:20:29,420 --> 00:20:32,960 Number one pop singer in the country on a wrestling show? 290 00:20:33,340 --> 00:20:34,860 That never happened before. 291 00:20:35,300 --> 00:20:37,160 It's nice to see all the wrestling fans. 292 00:20:37,460 --> 00:20:40,340 And you, Rodney, how are you? 293 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,460 Everybody kind of knew what was about to happen. 294 00:20:43,740 --> 00:20:47,710 Cindy. Tell all these people out here how I took you, Cindy, and found you in 295 00:20:47,710 --> 00:20:50,190 New York City and Queens, and how I made you a superstar. 296 00:20:50,630 --> 00:20:54,150 Tell them what I did for you, Cindy. Albano just starts talking this really 297 00:20:54,150 --> 00:20:55,210 sexist talk. 298 00:20:55,430 --> 00:20:59,330 Tell them how a woman, Cindy, belonged in a kitchen and pregnant, Cindy, that 299 00:20:59,330 --> 00:21:01,910 woman's ever accomplished anything without a man behind her. 300 00:21:02,310 --> 00:21:03,310 Cindy, tell them that. 301 00:21:04,290 --> 00:21:05,290 Wait, wait, wait, Lou. 302 00:21:05,350 --> 00:21:08,770 Lou, you know, I don't like that. You're only fooling around, right? Because I 303 00:21:08,770 --> 00:21:09,770 don't like that stuff. 304 00:21:09,850 --> 00:21:12,150 The crowd's like, wow, why is Cindy going off on Lou? 305 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:14,880 Just because he's saying things that wrestlers say. 306 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:17,480 And 307 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:28,140 the 308 00:21:28,140 --> 00:21:35,020 fight that ensued was really the theatrical setup. The first real 309 00:21:35,020 --> 00:21:38,620 craziness that was going to be happening with the wrestling world. 310 00:21:39,130 --> 00:21:44,530 in the rock and roll world. It was real and she nailed it. Just nailed it. And 311 00:21:44,530 --> 00:21:51,250 that is the beginning of a number of incidents that will ultimately culminate 312 00:21:51,250 --> 00:21:52,650 in WrestleMania 1. 313 00:21:52,930 --> 00:21:57,690 We will take you now to Rowdy Roddy Piper and again his very special guest, 314 00:21:57,690 --> 00:22:04,430 Cindy Lauper. We wanted to create an event that would be 315 00:22:04,430 --> 00:22:05,950 the perfect 316 00:22:31,150 --> 00:22:33,850 The champion at that time was Moore. 317 00:22:35,149 --> 00:22:38,810 Moo would manage Moo. You know who I'm going to pick, Moo? I'm going to pick 318 00:22:38,810 --> 00:22:43,850 you. I'm going to pick the champ. Well, I found myself a wrestler. I got Wendy 319 00:22:43,850 --> 00:22:45,030 Ressler. What do you say? 320 00:22:45,330 --> 00:22:46,870 Wendy, show them what you got. 321 00:22:47,190 --> 00:22:50,510 At the time, I was like 22, 23. 322 00:22:51,450 --> 00:22:53,610 It was like the highlight of my life. 323 00:22:54,710 --> 00:22:58,650 There were wrestlers that had been around for decades that kind of looked 324 00:22:58,650 --> 00:23:01,690 haggard and tired. I was easy on the eye, I guess. 325 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:07,360 When Wendy Richter popped up on the screen, it was a little more appealing 326 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:10,220 when Moolah popped up on the screen. Cindy has really helped me. 327 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,300 Like, I'm proud to be a woman. She's really for women's rights, and she's 328 00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:19,040 me a lot of things, and I just, I don't know, I feel like I'm a new person and 329 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:21,700 everything. Cindy Lauper had Wendy Richter. 330 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:23,040 Beautiful, young. 331 00:23:23,060 --> 00:23:25,660 It was youth versus the establishment. 332 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:27,220 They were going to collide. 333 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:32,020 What better place than MTV to do it? We're going to now set the stage for the 334 00:23:32,020 --> 00:23:32,969 first big. 335 00:23:32,970 --> 00:23:36,830 event the brawl to end it all and we had to have a press conference for that 336 00:23:36,830 --> 00:23:40,370 show is a disgrace to professional wrestling and to journalism your so 337 00:23:40,370 --> 00:23:46,550 interviews are nothing more than ridicule humiliation alan did an amazing 338 00:23:46,550 --> 00:23:51,250 wait a second wait wait wait wait bang he was in the middle of a roddy piper 339 00:23:51,250 --> 00:23:55,290 situation obviously they take a female steroid 340 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:00,420 That's Roddy Piper standing over me saying he's going to kill me. 341 00:24:01,220 --> 00:24:07,860 I thought, well, he's not going to do anything 342 00:24:07,860 --> 00:24:11,680 dangerous. This is like a Disney ride. It's scary, but, you know, no one's 343 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:12,680 to die. Maybe. 344 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:21,660 Totally lifted me off my feet. 345 00:24:21,980 --> 00:24:25,580 After the press conference, I had people coming up asking if I was okay. 346 00:24:25,820 --> 00:24:29,420 They were into it and couldn't wait for the brawl. And I was like, me either. 347 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:33,980 If you have small children in the house, lock them in the basement now. 348 00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:35,440 On to the garden. 349 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:41,280 When we did this together and took it out of just Vince's stations into the 350 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:42,980 mainstream. How you doing, Gene? 351 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:44,680 This has got to be... 352 00:24:45,230 --> 00:24:49,170 A moment that everybody has been waiting for, especially Cindy and yourself. 353 00:24:49,390 --> 00:24:52,930 We are definitely ready for this fight. There is no question about it. Man, this 354 00:24:52,930 --> 00:24:53,930 is fantastic. 355 00:24:54,170 --> 00:24:56,270 Look how entertaining this is. 356 00:24:56,490 --> 00:24:58,790 Marrying these two industries together. 357 00:24:59,050 --> 00:25:03,710 It's a natural. I want my MTV and our wrestling connection. We're the biggest 358 00:25:03,710 --> 00:25:06,270 impactful incidents in programming history on MTV. 359 00:25:06,630 --> 00:25:07,630 Vincey's opportunity. 360 00:25:07,910 --> 00:25:11,610 What's hot? What's popular? What are people watching? MTV was the perfect 361 00:25:11,610 --> 00:25:13,330 opportunity to then promote. 362 00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:24,880 Just moments from now, the fabulous Moolah to defend the ladies' crown 363 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,740 challenger Wendy Richter. Ladies and gentlemen, this title belt will be on 364 00:25:28,740 --> 00:25:32,600 line at Madison Square Garden. Just moments from now, this lady to defend. 365 00:25:32,900 --> 00:25:33,900 I'm ready. 366 00:25:46,860 --> 00:25:52,980 I was pumped, very excited, very excited, and just hearing the roar of 367 00:25:52,980 --> 00:25:53,980 audience. 368 00:25:55,400 --> 00:26:01,420 My dad, he was trying to think of how can I get my product in front of as many 369 00:26:01,420 --> 00:26:06,440 people as possible and hopefully turn them into fans. And he saw MTV as that 370 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:11,800 vehicle. 20 ,000 people in the garden, and it was just complete mayhem. 371 00:26:19,500 --> 00:26:21,640 Oh, my God. She's gone nuts, too. 372 00:26:21,860 --> 00:26:23,820 What has happened to sweet little Cindy? 373 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:29,280 Wendy is in excellent physical condition and is just pummeling the fabulous one. 374 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:30,400 Look at that. 375 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:36,260 I felt fantastic because I'm seeing it unfold in front of my eyes. This is 376 00:26:36,260 --> 00:26:39,440 happening. And it was incredibly exciting. 377 00:26:59,770 --> 00:27:02,550 Nothing, because this belt right here says it all. 378 00:27:02,770 --> 00:27:06,310 Hold it. Wait a minute. I see one man here that I know is in the way. 379 00:27:06,930 --> 00:27:10,750 Hulk Hogan, World Wrestling Federation heavyweight champion. I love it. I love 380 00:27:10,750 --> 00:27:13,910 it, man. You are so fine. This is the Marilyn Monroe of the professional 381 00:27:13,910 --> 00:27:15,670 wrestling world, the real champion, daddy. 382 00:27:17,190 --> 00:27:20,890 Everybody was wondering how this rock and wrestling connection was going to 383 00:27:20,890 --> 00:27:25,830 work, and it turned out it was the highest rated show on MTV up to that 384 00:27:26,090 --> 00:27:30,190 The ratings went ten times bigger than they were at any other part of the day, 385 00:27:30,250 --> 00:27:31,109 the broadcast. 386 00:27:31,110 --> 00:27:32,250 On a music station. 387 00:27:32,610 --> 00:27:33,610 On a music channel. 388 00:27:33,630 --> 00:27:34,609 We're doing wrestling. 389 00:27:34,610 --> 00:27:37,050 Yes. On this new thing called cable. 390 00:27:37,330 --> 00:27:40,010 This has got to be a big moral victory for you, Cindy. 391 00:27:40,210 --> 00:27:41,210 It certainly was. 392 00:27:41,410 --> 00:27:44,410 That gave it a lot of legitimacy very quickly. 393 00:27:44,670 --> 00:27:48,590 And all of a sudden we started hearing about Vince and setting up this mega 394 00:27:48,590 --> 00:27:49,590 show. 395 00:27:49,730 --> 00:27:54,490 Vince said, I went on a vacation and I was lying there on the beach. 396 00:27:54,970 --> 00:27:58,870 And then when I came back, I had the idea. My father was talking to my 397 00:27:58,890 --> 00:28:02,750 coming up with this idea, and it was, what is our Super Bowl? What is our 398 00:28:02,750 --> 00:28:07,430 Oscars? What's our Grammys? I mean, what was it? What was that big, special 399 00:28:07,430 --> 00:28:09,790 event to put WWE on the map? 400 00:28:10,030 --> 00:28:12,830 He was trying to come up with a name for what we could call the event. 401 00:28:13,430 --> 00:28:19,010 I said, well, the Beatles, when they came to the United States back in 1964, 402 00:28:19,750 --> 00:28:23,410 their phenom was dubbed Beatlemania. 403 00:28:24,030 --> 00:28:26,270 Why can't we call our event WrestleMania? 404 00:28:26,910 --> 00:28:32,270 When Vince had come out that he was going to do a WrestleMania, I'm 405 00:28:32,350 --> 00:28:33,510 what the hell is a WrestleMania? 406 00:28:33,970 --> 00:28:37,450 There were a lot of people who thought, this thing is not going to fly. 407 00:28:37,810 --> 00:28:41,530 There were a lot of wrestlers that had got it in their heads that Vince had 408 00:28:41,530 --> 00:28:45,810 overextended himself and that he'd spend everything on this one show, and if it 409 00:28:45,810 --> 00:28:48,990 wasn't a huge success, everything was going to go under. 410 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:54,000 Vince had actually purchased the company from his father and from his father's 411 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:59,060 partners. And the deal that Vince made was that he would make payments and then 412 00:28:59,060 --> 00:29:03,400 make one large balloon payment at the end. Vince didn't have the money, so it 413 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:07,680 was all smoke and mirrors, you know, borrowing from this guy to pay that guy 414 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:08,680 he could pay his dad. 415 00:29:08,700 --> 00:29:14,720 If WrestleMania didn't work, the WWE would have tanked. My dad literally bet 416 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,700 farm. He mortgaged everything my parents owned. 417 00:29:18,170 --> 00:29:24,590 I was hoping that it would fail because we felt like if it was successful, that 418 00:29:24,590 --> 00:29:29,330 would spell the end of our territories and life as we knew it. Vince needed to 419 00:29:29,330 --> 00:29:32,590 expand the whole rock and wrestling connection because that was kind of the 420 00:29:32,590 --> 00:29:38,250 launching pad. I have one more award for a guy who's really turned around. 421 00:29:38,910 --> 00:29:40,750 Captain Louis Delgado! 422 00:29:42,710 --> 00:29:45,410 Send me brothers and sisters. 423 00:29:46,060 --> 00:29:49,300 I don't know what to say. I'm so grateful to receive this award. 424 00:29:50,300 --> 00:29:53,780 And here comes Roddy Piper. Just a minute, Roddy. 425 00:29:54,100 --> 00:29:55,240 Yeah, Roddy. 426 00:29:55,460 --> 00:29:58,660 Inserts himself into the equation, takes over the scene. 427 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:04,920 Even though it was me that set this up, and it was me that started it, I want to 428 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:05,920 present you with this. 429 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:08,100 Oh, look out! 430 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:11,800 Look it, Roddy Piper's just gone bananas! 431 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:14,280 You got Cyndi Lauper. 432 00:30:14,810 --> 00:30:16,430 You know, getting thrown around the ring. 433 00:30:16,690 --> 00:30:20,930 I mean, just think about that. Getting physically assaulted by a grown man. 434 00:30:21,210 --> 00:30:23,930 David Wolfe trying to come to the rescue, but he's no match. 435 00:30:25,290 --> 00:30:27,970 Oh, he pile drives it right down into the canvas. 436 00:30:28,230 --> 00:30:32,990 Just picked me up and body slammed me to the mat. Cindy Lauper is down. 437 00:30:33,330 --> 00:30:34,650 David Wolfe is down. 438 00:30:36,030 --> 00:30:38,390 Every great hero needs a foil. 439 00:30:38,630 --> 00:30:43,570 And there was no foil as easy as Hot Rod Roddy Piper. 440 00:30:46,830 --> 00:30:48,650 Well, let me tell you how to be Roddy Piper. 441 00:30:48,870 --> 00:30:50,530 Have a nice day. 442 00:30:50,850 --> 00:30:51,870 Go south. 443 00:30:52,330 --> 00:30:55,950 Give me the microphone. Get out of my way. The future of professional 444 00:30:55,950 --> 00:31:00,810 is me. When RP talks, people listen. You think you got something hot shot, huh? 445 00:31:00,930 --> 00:31:03,370 They think they got the answers. 446 00:31:03,610 --> 00:31:05,130 I change the questions. 447 00:31:05,870 --> 00:31:12,610 Just imagine this. I had kicked the female vocalist of the year, Cyndi 448 00:31:12,650 --> 00:31:14,810 in the head. I tortured Hogan. 449 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:17,420 I chased Dick Clark back to the dressing room. 450 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:22,980 What a despicable, disgraceful display on the part of Roddy Piper. 451 00:31:23,340 --> 00:31:29,980 Roddy Piper had this uncanny ability to infuriate you and ratchet up your 452 00:31:29,980 --> 00:31:34,260 emotions without stepping foot in the ring. And then eventually he got in the 453 00:31:34,260 --> 00:31:37,200 ring. You're like, oh, this guy's also a badass, too. 454 00:31:37,700 --> 00:31:43,040 February 18th, 1985, there's another show at Madison Square Garden, also 455 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:44,080 broadcast in Madison Square Garden. 456 00:31:44,830 --> 00:31:47,910 On MTV, the war to settle the score. 457 00:31:48,970 --> 00:31:50,890 This is all leading to WrestleMania. 458 00:31:51,290 --> 00:31:56,390 I'm Alan Hunter, and tonight it's the war to settle the score. A wrestling 459 00:31:56,390 --> 00:32:00,990 with social, political, and artistic implications far beyond any wrestling 460 00:32:00,990 --> 00:32:05,870 in history. A wrestling match with social, political, and artistic 461 00:32:05,870 --> 00:32:10,970 far beyond any wrestling match in history. Was that serious enough for 462 00:32:13,070 --> 00:32:14,170 Everybody was involved. 463 00:32:15,250 --> 00:32:16,730 Wrestling is going down. 464 00:32:17,050 --> 00:32:20,570 It's the rockers. We're going to win this. Well, don't mess with the rock and 465 00:32:20,570 --> 00:32:23,350 rollers, bro. We'll snuff you out under my thumb. It's you, Rod. 466 00:32:23,550 --> 00:32:26,390 Well, listen, Piper, rock and roll's going to get you, man. 467 00:32:26,650 --> 00:32:29,810 There were a lot of people out there who were talking about how evil rock and 468 00:32:29,810 --> 00:32:33,990 roll was, and Rowdy Roddy Piper was back in their play. He was speaking for 469 00:32:33,990 --> 00:32:34,990 those people. 470 00:32:35,070 --> 00:32:37,130 Roddy Piper is not going to get away with this. 471 00:32:37,510 --> 00:32:38,770 Roddy, you're a ratbag. 472 00:32:39,270 --> 00:32:41,370 Patti Smith, I mean, so adorable. 473 00:32:42,410 --> 00:32:44,970 Roddy, Roddy Piper, you rat bag. 474 00:32:45,550 --> 00:32:50,610 I think she must have made that word up. When this rock and wrestling thing 475 00:32:50,610 --> 00:32:54,810 started happening, there were people who just seemed to clamor. I guarantee you 476 00:32:54,810 --> 00:32:57,310 they were calling up the executive saying, can I go on that? 477 00:32:57,670 --> 00:33:01,550 This Roddy Piper is a disgrace to rock and roll. He certainly is not fit to 478 00:33:01,550 --> 00:33:05,450 a skirt. And he's going to pay for what he's done to Cindy Lauper. Gloria 479 00:33:05,450 --> 00:33:07,310 Steinem, I mean, good God. 480 00:33:07,530 --> 00:33:11,310 All of a sudden, like Geraldine Ferrara, who was running. 481 00:33:11,930 --> 00:33:16,690 For the vice president of the United States. When Geraldine Ferraro did her 482 00:33:16,690 --> 00:33:19,930 little one -liner, there was a women's event in New York. That's why they were 483 00:33:19,930 --> 00:33:20,549 all there. 484 00:33:20,550 --> 00:33:24,490 I went up to her and I just say, man, would you mind just saying a quick thing 485 00:33:24,490 --> 00:33:28,390 and put down Roddy Piper? And she did it. Roddy Piper, why don't you come out 486 00:33:28,390 --> 00:33:29,390 and fight like a man? 487 00:33:29,570 --> 00:33:34,310 Her office was calling us for weeks. Take that down. Take that down. She 488 00:33:34,310 --> 00:33:36,110 it was going to ruin her whole political career. 489 00:33:36,530 --> 00:33:37,530 Politics. 490 00:33:37,630 --> 00:33:41,430 Acting, TV, film, music, it just had it all. 491 00:33:47,890 --> 00:33:50,930 Guess who's sitting in the front row? 492 00:33:51,510 --> 00:33:55,130 Mr. T, the hottest star in American television. 493 00:34:00,050 --> 00:34:04,070 He was one of the hottest properties at the time. I mean, he was on fire just 494 00:34:04,070 --> 00:34:05,490 like the wrestling business was. 495 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,340 That's my man talking what he wanted to do and stuff like that and all of the 496 00:34:10,340 --> 00:34:14,239 stuff. We finally got everything worked out. Now, okay, I'm going to bring it. 497 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:15,400 Just what you're going to get with me. 498 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:18,679 Things get pretty chaotic. 499 00:34:19,159 --> 00:34:26,120 And Cindy Lauper feels compelled to jump into the ring herself to assist her 500 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:27,760 good friend Hulk Hogan. 501 00:34:28,699 --> 00:34:31,260 He slapped her head off. 502 00:34:31,820 --> 00:34:33,820 And I say, you can't do that to an old lady. 503 00:34:43,020 --> 00:34:44,400 It was on from then on. 504 00:34:44,699 --> 00:34:46,600 That was the thought of me getting into wrestling. 505 00:34:47,020 --> 00:34:49,860 What is going on, ladies and gentlemen? It's pandemonium. 506 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:56,179 Mr. T and Hulk are fit to be tied. New York's finest trying to help out. 507 00:34:56,420 --> 00:34:59,140 While in the ring, we have two individuals shaking hands. 508 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:01,120 The Hulkster and Mr. 509 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:02,360 T. 510 00:35:03,220 --> 00:35:04,820 Talking about pop culture. 511 00:35:05,100 --> 00:35:07,580 Holy moly, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan together. 512 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:09,340 You couldn't get any bigger than that. 513 00:35:11,910 --> 00:35:16,210 As thousands upon thousands of fans continue to file out into the streets of 514 00:35:16,210 --> 00:35:20,010 Big Apple, I'd like to get your impressions of what happened. Well, I 515 00:35:20,010 --> 00:35:23,690 saw it all, Gene. I don't know. It was so confusing that it's hard to have 516 00:35:23,690 --> 00:35:28,290 impressions as to what just happened. Mean Gene sort of spoke like he did on 517 00:35:28,290 --> 00:35:29,290 camera in person. 518 00:35:29,610 --> 00:35:33,030 Hello, Alan. How are you doing, Alan? I was like, dude, I'm just right here. 519 00:35:34,380 --> 00:35:38,800 Alan Hunter, I'm going to bring in a man that defended the heavyweight title on 520 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:40,660 this particular occasion here on MTV. 521 00:35:41,140 --> 00:35:46,140 That room was packed. It was crowded. It was tension filled. 522 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:48,100 It was a rock wrestling connection. 523 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:49,760 Everything we stand for. 524 00:35:50,180 --> 00:35:54,620 Everything we believe in, man. It's not a dream. It's the way we live, man. And 525 00:35:54,620 --> 00:35:58,760 Piper tried to destroy it. This was like, you know, faux serious and 526 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:02,080 journalistic. And Mean Gene knew how to work that. 527 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:11,520 To have Mean Gene be the ringmaster of the 50 ring circus. 528 00:36:12,220 --> 00:36:15,500 And it didn't matter whether he knew you from Adam or knew what you did. If I 529 00:36:15,500 --> 00:36:18,260 could bring in other dignitaries, who do we have standing by? 530 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,720 Please. What happened here? It was incredible. 531 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,820 It was really exciting. I would compare it to a Springsteen concert. It was 532 00:36:24,820 --> 00:36:27,400 pretty hot. If he smashes any more guitars, he has to answer to me 533 00:36:27,660 --> 00:36:32,220 Have you ever seen such total bedlam and pandemonium in your entire life? Never. 534 00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:33,800 Gosh, Andy Warhol. 535 00:36:34,820 --> 00:36:37,000 It's just so exciting. I just don't know what to say. 536 00:36:37,900 --> 00:36:41,120 All the way, Andy. Good luck in all your things in your career. 537 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,120 Wait a minute now. I don't know if I want to conduct this interview or not 538 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:49,540 you. Piper, you'll take a microphone and dress up if you're going to come on. I 539 00:36:49,540 --> 00:36:53,740 can do exactly what I want to do. I'm out in the wings watching me and Gene do 540 00:36:53,740 --> 00:36:56,000 his thing, and Roddy comes hurtling down the hallway. 541 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:58,240 Did they see him pin me? No! 542 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:02,400 Oh, they saw the piece of crap. That's all they saw, man. They didn't see him 543 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:05,380 nothing to me. Thank you very much. 544 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:09,520 Danny DeVito comes walking around to wipe the spit off the camera. 545 00:37:09,780 --> 00:37:10,780 Alan! 546 00:37:10,970 --> 00:37:13,170 I am out of gas. I am exhausted. 547 00:37:13,550 --> 00:37:16,750 The mayhem just happened, and we're all going to try to calm down now. 548 00:37:17,170 --> 00:37:21,730 Where we go from here, no one knows. I don't think it's over. I think we have 549 00:37:21,730 --> 00:37:23,970 just seen the tip of the iceberg. 550 00:37:25,510 --> 00:37:26,510 Vince brought Mr. 551 00:37:26,730 --> 00:37:33,710 T in at that moment because it was time to really take it up and 552 00:37:33,710 --> 00:37:34,810 out of the ballpark. 553 00:37:35,090 --> 00:37:36,430 The big news, WrestleMania. 554 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:44,180 Coming March the 31st. Vince's vision of trying to make this work, he wasn't 555 00:37:44,180 --> 00:37:45,180 going to let it fail. 556 00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:51,460 He's putting everything into Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Roddy Piper, all the superstars 557 00:37:51,460 --> 00:37:54,780 that are on that lineup. I'm putting all my money, I'm putting all my marvels, 558 00:37:54,780 --> 00:37:59,860 everything into you. I believe in you. The greatest wrestling extravaganza. 559 00:38:00,570 --> 00:38:06,510 Of all time. It was Vince's game to win or lose, and it was all based on 560 00:38:06,510 --> 00:38:07,510 WrestleMania I. 561 00:38:12,010 --> 00:38:15,990 Hulk Hogan, a World Wrestling Federation champion, has chosen a tag team 562 00:38:15,990 --> 00:38:16,990 partner. 563 00:38:17,100 --> 00:38:18,440 By the name of Mr. 564 00:38:18,660 --> 00:38:22,720 T. One thing you taught me a long time ago, you gotta stay hungry. And tonight, 565 00:38:22,860 --> 00:38:26,440 I see the eye of the tiger in your eyes, T. You're the man that I always thought 566 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:30,380 you were. I appreciate it, and I love you like a brother. I understood this is 567 00:38:30,380 --> 00:38:31,380 how you get attention. 568 00:38:31,580 --> 00:38:36,760 And no one was capable of grabbing attention at that stage in American pop 569 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:37,760 culture history. 570 00:38:37,900 --> 00:38:38,900 Mr. T. 571 00:38:39,660 --> 00:38:41,000 The name is Mr. T. 572 00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:42,540 First name is Mr. 573 00:38:42,900 --> 00:38:44,120 Middle name is that period. 574 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:45,520 Last name is T. 575 00:38:46,890 --> 00:38:51,210 I remember I got a Mr. T dollar, like a little figure from the A -team. We like 576 00:38:51,210 --> 00:38:52,210 the fake gold change. 577 00:38:52,530 --> 00:38:54,450 You're like, wait, this dude's involved now too? 578 00:38:54,850 --> 00:38:58,790 And then he aligns himself with Hulk Hogan. We did Rocky III together, you 579 00:38:58,790 --> 00:39:01,850 because he played Thunder Lips and I'm natural, I'm Clover Lane, you know. 580 00:39:01,870 --> 00:39:04,610 when I did Rocky III, that's when I first ran into Mr. T. 581 00:39:04,890 --> 00:39:06,070 We clicked from the start. 582 00:39:06,470 --> 00:39:08,850 What team is meaner than Laurel and Hardy? 583 00:39:09,130 --> 00:39:12,590 More dangerous than Bonnie and Clyde. Who else but Hulk Hogan and Mr. 584 00:39:12,810 --> 00:39:13,799 T? 585 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,260 Mr. T was a TV star like 2018. 586 00:39:16,780 --> 00:39:22,200 When I heard he was getting involved with the first WrestleMania I was in, 587 00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:25,260 like one channel is Mr. T and then I flipped the other channel and it's like, 588 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:29,440 oh, here's WrestleMania with Mr. T in it. There was a lot of animosity among 589 00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:31,880 talent, among the boys, you know. 590 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:34,520 What's this guy doing coming in there? 591 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:39,500 T. kind of would rub people the wrong way. You know, he just, that's just the 592 00:39:39,500 --> 00:39:40,500 way he was. 593 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:47,560 The rumor was going around that Mr. T and Piper didn't get along very much. 594 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:49,960 didn't have a good relationship with each other. 595 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:51,860 Roddy didn't like him too much. 596 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:54,000 Mr. 597 00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:57,780 T, hello, I know you can hear me and I don't mean to bother you. 598 00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:59,540 Roddy Piper was on the set. 599 00:39:59,980 --> 00:40:00,980 of the 18. 600 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:05,340 My name's Hot Rod, of course you know who I am, and I know who you are, 601 00:40:05,340 --> 00:40:08,940 your name's written on the back of the chair, and I'm assuming that that's 602 00:40:08,940 --> 00:40:09,940 so you don't get lost. 603 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:13,480 Roddy had a bit of a chip on his shoulder, did not like Mr. 604 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:15,900 T, didn't like Mr. T at WrestleMania 1. 605 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:20,760 What we got here is what we found hanging around the restroom. You see, we 606 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:25,400 a new feature now in Piper's pit. It's called the Hot Feet. He resented Mr. 607 00:40:25,620 --> 00:40:27,340 T making the money he was making. 608 00:40:40,230 --> 00:40:43,730 He was talking about my haircut. 609 00:40:44,150 --> 00:40:45,150 Bring it on. 610 00:40:45,570 --> 00:40:47,330 Give me the best you got. 611 00:40:47,810 --> 00:40:48,810 I'll take it. 612 00:40:48,970 --> 00:40:53,250 Mr. T, we're supposed to call him Mr. Are you ribbing me? T and Hogan, they 613 00:40:53,250 --> 00:40:57,430 to take on the both of us. It doesn't sell without Piper. Without Piper 614 00:40:57,430 --> 00:40:59,470 the pot. So you've got this whole... 615 00:40:59,790 --> 00:41:02,670 under -the -surface, bubbling, blossoming feud. 616 00:41:02,930 --> 00:41:06,690 The children of America today must be sick to look at someone. 617 00:41:06,910 --> 00:41:07,569 Hey, mister. 618 00:41:07,570 --> 00:41:08,569 Hey, mister. 619 00:41:08,570 --> 00:41:13,910 Hey, no, no, no, hey. I'll tell you, you mess with me, T, I'll put an X on your 620 00:41:13,910 --> 00:41:14,629 name, brother. 621 00:41:14,630 --> 00:41:19,190 You can tell Roddy Piper, again, was probably an inch away from trying to 622 00:41:19,190 --> 00:41:20,109 this guy's neck. 623 00:41:20,110 --> 00:41:23,810 How can I say it without sounding cocky? They didn't understand that bringing me 624 00:41:23,810 --> 00:41:28,310 in would broaden their theme. He was thinking, this is going to help me in my 625 00:41:28,310 --> 00:41:29,310 career as much as... 626 00:41:29,550 --> 00:41:31,710 Me being with these guys helped them with theirs. 627 00:41:32,010 --> 00:41:37,070 So if you bring in, you got Cyndi Lauper there, you got the MTV crowd, you got 628 00:41:37,070 --> 00:41:41,650 Mr. T from the A -Team. Hey, man, this is good for us. This is going to help 629 00:41:42,270 --> 00:41:43,390 So now it's Mr. 630 00:41:43,630 --> 00:41:50,630 T, Hulk Hogan, and Cyndi Lauper over here, and Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, 631 00:41:50,630 --> 00:41:51,870 Cowboy Bob Orton Jr. 632 00:41:52,110 --> 00:41:53,110 over here. 633 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:57,720 And the stage is set for WrestleMania 1. There are going to be a lot of guests 634 00:41:57,720 --> 00:42:00,660 at ringside and some guests involved in the main event this coming Sunday 635 00:42:00,660 --> 00:42:04,000 afternoon. Billy Martin, whom we heard from earlier on, is the guest ring 636 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,820 announcer. Muhammad Ali, the guest referee in the event. And, of course, 637 00:42:07,900 --> 00:42:12,300 Liberace, the guest timekeeper. We do invite you to see it at your local 638 00:42:12,300 --> 00:42:16,680 coliseum or theater, which will carry it on a closed -circuit television basis 639 00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:18,000 on the giant color screen. 640 00:42:18,260 --> 00:42:20,400 So at the time of WrestleMania 1... 641 00:42:21,070 --> 00:42:25,110 Vince was trying to think of how can I reach our fans in the biggest way 642 00:42:25,110 --> 00:42:29,710 possible. We used closed -circuit television, which basically means that 643 00:42:29,710 --> 00:42:33,910 would go to an arena to watch big, giant television screens of what was 644 00:42:33,910 --> 00:42:35,030 happening somewhere else. 645 00:42:35,270 --> 00:42:39,670 I'd been to several closed circuits, and one of the closed circuits I'd been to 646 00:42:39,670 --> 00:42:43,130 was the Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon Jump. 647 00:42:50,690 --> 00:42:57,150 You know who that was promoted by? 648 00:42:57,870 --> 00:42:59,750 Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr. 649 00:43:00,050 --> 00:43:01,310 You lost the spring? 650 00:43:01,510 --> 00:43:02,610 It went sideways. 651 00:43:04,910 --> 00:43:09,370 Vince had done a lot of other things. He dabbled in other promotions with closed 652 00:43:09,370 --> 00:43:10,368 circuit television. 653 00:43:10,370 --> 00:43:15,170 The Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon closed circuit event bombed terribly. 654 00:43:15,510 --> 00:43:17,050 He lost his ass on that. 655 00:43:17,850 --> 00:43:19,650 We figured, well, here goes another one. 656 00:43:21,090 --> 00:43:25,810 Closed -circuit television was the only delivery system to get WrestleMania out 657 00:43:25,810 --> 00:43:32,590 to the masses and do it live and be able to have a gate and have revenue from 658 00:43:32,590 --> 00:43:38,390 that gate. It was as if you were running a live event simultaneous in over 100 659 00:43:38,390 --> 00:43:42,990 locations across the country. You're going to go to this theater or 660 00:43:43,050 --> 00:43:45,190 and then it's going to be on closed -circuit television, and you're going to 661 00:43:45,190 --> 00:43:50,270 sit. and watch television with all these other people. It was so odd to think of 662 00:43:50,270 --> 00:43:51,189 it in that manner. 663 00:43:51,190 --> 00:43:54,670 Movie theaters, people are going to pay a ticket to go to a movie theater to 664 00:43:54,670 --> 00:43:57,850 watch professional wrestling. It ain't going to happen, baby. 665 00:43:58,050 --> 00:43:59,290 Vince has lost his mind. 666 00:43:59,510 --> 00:44:00,510 Is Vince crazy? 667 00:44:00,670 --> 00:44:01,670 Yes. 668 00:44:01,770 --> 00:44:02,770 Vince is crazy. 669 00:44:03,390 --> 00:44:05,090 Vince is absolutely insane. 670 00:44:06,010 --> 00:44:11,990 but it takes an insane crazy man to come up with these ideas and bring them to 671 00:44:11,990 --> 00:44:13,550 fruition and make them a reality. 672 00:44:13,890 --> 00:44:18,190 When I first heard the term closed circuit, it felt like trying to watch 673 00:44:18,190 --> 00:44:21,390 thing on Saturn. Nobody had done it before, and it was kind of like Vince 674 00:44:21,390 --> 00:44:25,810 this ringleader with this vision that pushed everybody to make these moves. 675 00:44:26,050 --> 00:44:29,290 Vince McMahon, he didn't care because... 676 00:44:29,710 --> 00:44:34,130 He wants to make his statement, and there's no way to make that statement 677 00:44:34,130 --> 00:44:38,730 than putting WrestleMania in theaters all over North America. 678 00:44:38,970 --> 00:44:42,910 We'll be rolling underneath our commentary a number of locations coast 679 00:44:42,910 --> 00:44:46,630 in which you can see WrestleMania. You will not be able to see WrestleMania on 680 00:44:46,630 --> 00:44:52,390 your home television set. Every major arena where we wrestled had set up the 681 00:44:52,390 --> 00:44:56,210 giant screen, you know, and people were... 682 00:44:56,510 --> 00:44:59,930 beating each other up, trying to get a ticket. Many stating it is the greatest 683 00:44:59,930 --> 00:45:01,850 sports entertainment. 684 00:45:02,680 --> 00:45:06,480 closed -circuit extravaganza of all time, and I'd certainly agree with that. 685 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:10,220 our imaginations, I think, ran wild like Vince's did. 686 00:45:10,500 --> 00:45:15,440 As it got closer and closer, more and more ideas kind of popped into us. How 687 00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:16,359 I make this bigger? 688 00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:17,860 Liberace is the guest timekeeper. 689 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:23,580 You know, I come from a long line of wrestling fans, of which number one was 690 00:45:23,580 --> 00:45:27,000 mother. And the ring announcer, Billy Martin. Billy Martin was a character. 691 00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:30,540 Like no other character I've ever run into before. 692 00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:33,720 Billy Martin, good to see you again. Good to see you. The World Wrestling 693 00:45:33,720 --> 00:45:36,680 Federation, you're going to be a part of that big extravaganza called 694 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:39,460 WrestleMania. Vince is going to get Muhammad Ali. 695 00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:44,620 And special guest referee, listen to this, former boxing great heavyweight 696 00:45:44,620 --> 00:45:46,620 champion of the world, Muhammad Ali. 697 00:45:46,940 --> 00:45:51,740 Oh, my gosh. I took pictures with him. This is an event. Wrestling history will 698 00:45:51,740 --> 00:45:56,020 be made. It made the event more than, are you going to the wrestling matches? 699 00:45:56,420 --> 00:46:00,110 No, you're not. going to the wrestling matches. You're going to WrestleMania. 700 00:46:01,110 --> 00:46:03,070 It's bigger than a wrestling match. 701 00:46:03,330 --> 00:46:07,350 This is an event that is a can't -miss event. 702 00:46:07,910 --> 00:46:11,370 Like Ed Sullivan would say, this is a really big show. 703 00:46:11,710 --> 00:46:15,910 Hey, look here. Everybody know we started training for the 131st date, 704 00:46:15,910 --> 00:46:18,970 know what's so funny about this team, man? The whole world knows about this, 705 00:46:19,030 --> 00:46:23,310 man. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T start to track. The dream team, man. The dream 706 00:46:23,590 --> 00:46:26,960 Want to do a thing with me doing them or T doing them or both combinations? One 707 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:31,160 helping the other, one encouraging the other one on type of thing. The build 708 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:35,600 to WrestleMania 1, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T made a lot of media appearances. 709 00:46:35,960 --> 00:46:40,440 And the best new artist is... The moment we walked in and our asses hit the 710 00:46:40,440 --> 00:46:41,440 seats. 711 00:46:42,270 --> 00:46:45,550 For about three seconds, they were calling us up for best new artist. It 712 00:46:45,550 --> 00:46:50,130 magic. It just added on to everything else. This was just another wall that 713 00:46:50,130 --> 00:46:54,950 down when Hulk Hogan showed up at Cyndi Lauper's escort to the Grammys. The 714 00:46:54,950 --> 00:46:55,950 hallowed Grammys. 715 00:46:56,130 --> 00:46:59,110 And a little special thing. 716 00:47:02,930 --> 00:47:09,150 Cyndi Lauper, when she got her actual award, the last thing Cyndi Lauper 717 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:11,300 Roddy Piper, you're going to get yours. 718 00:47:11,700 --> 00:47:14,840 Every dog has his day. You know what I'm talking about? 719 00:47:15,060 --> 00:47:16,680 And that one's going to get his. 720 00:47:17,140 --> 00:47:21,960 People would come in cars beside me to see, and the turn -up girls just want to 721 00:47:21,960 --> 00:47:23,120 have fun. It was crazy. 722 00:47:23,420 --> 00:47:27,040 I got to get ready. This ain't no joke. My reputation is on the line. 723 00:47:27,940 --> 00:47:34,900 The training montage with Mr. T was kind of brutal. 724 00:47:36,940 --> 00:47:38,720 I was young. 725 00:47:39,240 --> 00:47:41,020 could run fast and jump high back then. 726 00:47:41,300 --> 00:47:45,260 And, you know, Mr. T wasn't on that training schedule that we were on. 727 00:47:45,560 --> 00:47:47,460 We'd run from here to the corner. That's it. 728 00:47:47,740 --> 00:47:48,740 I'm done. 729 00:47:48,780 --> 00:47:50,800 Okay. No more jibber -jabber. I'm done. 730 00:47:51,280 --> 00:47:53,500 Don't give up. Keep coming. 731 00:47:58,190 --> 00:48:02,850 I think maybe two weeks before WrestleMania, we were doing press and 732 00:48:02,850 --> 00:48:07,510 that. Hulkamania, hypomania is going full bore for Sunday's tag team 733 00:48:07,510 --> 00:48:11,890 match. The night before WrestleMania, me and Hulk Hogan, we was the host of 734 00:48:11,890 --> 00:48:12,890 Saturday Night Live. 735 00:48:13,050 --> 00:48:15,030 Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. 736 00:48:15,510 --> 00:48:17,770 P and Hulk Hogan. 737 00:48:18,830 --> 00:48:20,970 Hosting Saturday Night Live was... 738 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:25,100 Putting the icing on the cake for us. We got a really big match coming up about 739 00:48:25,100 --> 00:48:27,320 12 hours from now. Madison Square Garden. 740 00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:30,500 WrestleMania, that is. Hulk Hogan, Mr. T. 741 00:48:35,140 --> 00:48:37,560 They call it the world's most famous arena. 742 00:48:39,060 --> 00:48:42,640 It's Madison Square Garden. It is the legendary place. 743 00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:47,260 The Garden is the coliseum where all the gladiators fight. 744 00:48:47,930 --> 00:48:53,990 Mr. McMahon, in honoring his dad's legacy, said, my father told me, Vinnie, 745 00:48:53,990 --> 00:48:55,970 garden will always be the garden. 746 00:48:56,230 --> 00:49:00,150 Good morning, 50 degrees, March 31st. Here's what's happening. We're staying 747 00:49:00,150 --> 00:49:04,670 a hotel over here in Midtown, going over to the garden. I'm riding with Jesse, 748 00:49:04,810 --> 00:49:06,110 the body Ventura. 749 00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:10,580 Took the cab, picked me up at the hotel, and take me to the garden. When King 750 00:49:10,580 --> 00:49:15,140 Kong Bundy and myself were driving to the garden, Bundy goes, this is going to 751 00:49:15,140 --> 00:49:18,680 be big, Jimmy. Tickets for Sunday's sold -out tag team brawl at the garden have 752 00:49:18,680 --> 00:49:20,660 been going for as much as $100 a pop. 753 00:49:22,340 --> 00:49:25,120 All right, Herb, why are you here? I'm here because this is the best 754 00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:27,280 entertainment around the city of New York. 755 00:49:28,240 --> 00:49:31,080 It wouldn't be worth that. Forget the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is super 756 00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:33,720 boring. This is exciting. The place was packed. 757 00:49:33,940 --> 00:49:37,140 The police were telling us that people had snuck into the garden overnight 758 00:49:37,140 --> 00:49:41,000 waiting on to the event. WrestleMania is the thing of today. 759 00:49:41,260 --> 00:49:42,480 Hulkamania is running wild. 760 00:49:50,340 --> 00:49:54,760 From Madison Square Garden, the World Wrestling Federation presents 761 00:49:54,760 --> 00:49:56,380 WrestleMania. 762 00:49:59,120 --> 00:50:04,480 That day of the garden, T comes rolling in, you know, about 10 or 11 in the 763 00:50:04,480 --> 00:50:06,380 morning, and I went, where has he been? 764 00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:08,340 You know, T, this is what it's all about, man. 765 00:50:08,800 --> 00:50:11,620 I was sleeping in the park, Central Park, with the bums. 766 00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:14,520 I had to get my head right. I'm like, what? Man, we've been training for six 767 00:50:14,520 --> 00:50:18,580 weeks, man. Are we ready or not, man? All these people, they want to see us 768 00:50:18,580 --> 00:50:22,980 down, man. He either needed a break from us, or he might have. 769 00:50:23,580 --> 00:50:24,900 Had some second thoughts. 770 00:50:25,180 --> 00:50:28,020 I grabbed him and I sat in the dressing room and I just stared at him. Who would 771 00:50:28,020 --> 00:50:30,240 not let him out of my sights when it was time to go to the ring? 772 00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:33,480 Because I was afraid he'd say he's going to the bathroom and then go down and 773 00:50:33,480 --> 00:50:35,800 get in the car or something. I'm going to look into your eyes. You look into 774 00:50:35,800 --> 00:50:36,638 mine. That's right, man. 775 00:50:36,640 --> 00:50:39,000 We're going to be ready either time. We're going to be ready. We're going to 776 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:40,020 ready either time. That's right, man. 777 00:50:42,820 --> 00:50:45,900 Backstage, of course, all the wrestlers had where they were getting ready. 778 00:50:46,180 --> 00:50:49,780 I opened one door where our dressing room was, and in the room in there, 779 00:50:49,780 --> 00:50:52,260 was John Studd putting his boots on. 780 00:50:52,990 --> 00:50:57,510 There was Rowdy Roddy Piper hanging his kilt up. We got there and, you know, 781 00:50:57,530 --> 00:51:00,930 nosed around, see what we could find. Got a glimpse of the Rockettes. 782 00:51:01,190 --> 00:51:05,830 I didn't even see the Rockettes. I was like off trucking with Muhammad Ali. 783 00:51:06,050 --> 00:51:11,170 I remember walking down the hall and saw Muhammad Ali's name on the door. 784 00:51:11,670 --> 00:51:16,370 And I knocked on it. And I said, I'm just one of the wrestlers here, Ricky 785 00:51:16,370 --> 00:51:20,870 Steamboat. You know, just wanted to pop in and just say hello to, you know, the 786 00:51:20,870 --> 00:51:21,609 great one. 787 00:51:21,610 --> 00:51:25,610 All right, at 1 p .m. this afternoon, it is WrestleMania, the biggest wrestling 788 00:51:25,610 --> 00:51:29,630 extravaganza of all time. You felt it. The hair on the back of your neck was 789 00:51:29,630 --> 00:51:30,388 standing up. 790 00:51:30,390 --> 00:51:34,250 There's electricity in the air, no doubt, for that one point in time. 791 00:51:34,550 --> 00:51:37,050 March 31st, Madison Square Garden. 792 00:51:38,790 --> 00:51:43,450 Vince was in the backstage, and Vince was negotiating with talent back and 793 00:51:43,450 --> 00:51:49,390 and trying to lay out a show unlike anything that had ever been done before. 794 00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:54,920 What would you like to see at ringside for WrestleMania 1? This electricity 795 00:51:54,920 --> 00:51:59,500 just surrounded the ring and emanating from the fan. 796 00:51:59,820 --> 00:52:01,640 And it was unprecedented. 797 00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:05,380 I was only eight years old, and I remember right where I was sitting for 798 00:52:05,380 --> 00:52:09,880 WrestleMania 1. I do remember thinking and feeling, really, that it was 799 00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:10,880 something different. 800 00:52:12,120 --> 00:52:14,400 There was a different kind of energy. 801 00:52:16,620 --> 00:52:17,640 Welcome, everyone. 802 00:52:17,900 --> 00:52:22,520 Gorilla Monsoon here at ringside with my colleague Jesse the Body Ventura as the 803 00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:27,360 World Wrestling Federation presents the wrestling extravaganza of all -time 804 00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:32,800 WrestleMania. Right now, let's go up to our ring announcer, Howard Finkel. I'll 805 00:52:32,800 --> 00:52:36,300 never forget getting in that ring in Madison Square Garden and performing and 806 00:52:36,300 --> 00:52:37,300 doing what I do best. 807 00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:40,780 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to WrestleMania. 808 00:52:45,320 --> 00:52:50,880 When I saw the monstrosity, like the overhead view, the zoom in of the 809 00:52:51,020 --> 00:52:54,560 it felt like Hollywood. We're seeing the greatest spectacle in wrestling history 810 00:52:54,560 --> 00:53:00,240 right now. We had 15 ,000 people in an original Miami arena downtown Miami. 811 00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:03,740 Fans packed the Miami Beach Convention Center to watch the show. 812 00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,900 WrestleMania is something very important. You have a mixture of movie 813 00:53:16,220 --> 00:53:20,540 singers, and wrestlers. So you combine the whole thing together and you have a 814 00:53:20,540 --> 00:53:22,900 lot of fun. This is the greatest card I've ever heard of. 815 00:53:25,500 --> 00:53:29,000 We're just in Madison Square Garden, but the way it went down with the closed 816 00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:33,000 circuit, the overhead, the celebrities, everything that was on the line, it had 817 00:53:33,000 --> 00:53:37,260 the worker really tanked. I can only imagine Vince pulling into Madison 818 00:53:37,260 --> 00:53:39,200 Garden and having everything on the line. 819 00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:45,160 And what happens in the next few hours of his life is going to be instrumental 820 00:53:45,160 --> 00:53:47,700 in what happens for the rest of his life. 821 00:53:59,180 --> 00:54:02,400 Madison Square Garden was. 822 00:54:02,960 --> 00:54:07,180 The mega. For WrestleMania 1, you couldn't have had it any other place. I 823 00:54:07,200 --> 00:54:11,260 this is the biggest crowd in history, 1 .2 million. Nobody wants to lose in 824 00:54:11,260 --> 00:54:14,660 front of that many people. Absolutely. You could just see, like, cameras going 825 00:54:14,660 --> 00:54:18,700 off, and there was this palpable buzz that just did not leave. 826 00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:23,500 You need everything to be perfect. You've got to be so far ahead of the 827 00:54:23,500 --> 00:54:27,100 terms of having an idea that nobody's even conceptualized before. 828 00:54:27,920 --> 00:54:29,880 We were hungry for it, and it was on. 829 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:34,860 WrestleMania, it's living up to everything I expected it to be, Gino 830 00:54:34,860 --> 00:54:38,780 was unbelievable. I had chill bumps up and down my arms. Introducing first to 831 00:54:38,780 --> 00:54:43,540 left, the manager, the mouth of the South, Jimmy Hart. 832 00:54:44,660 --> 00:54:48,900 My knees were so weak. I'm telling you, I always keep my hair like this, right? 833 00:54:49,360 --> 00:54:53,320 freeze and shine right my hair all of a sudden it went from this tall up about 834 00:54:53,320 --> 00:54:57,400 like here i was like wow i was sweating profusely you know just crushed him oh 835 00:54:57,400 --> 00:55:02,380 my god and a giant it's over it's over i was so excited i ran and jumped in 836 00:55:02,380 --> 00:55:05,380 bunny's arms and i went number one number one 837 00:55:06,570 --> 00:55:10,010 The opposing corner, Ricky Steamboat, big test for you this afternoon. 838 00:55:10,270 --> 00:55:13,510 It's a big test in my life and everybody's wrestling career that's 839 00:55:13,510 --> 00:55:16,670 this particular day. This is the biggest wrestling extravaganza that's coming 840 00:55:16,670 --> 00:55:17,629 across the nation. 841 00:55:17,630 --> 00:55:21,750 I remember walking out to the ring from the Madison Square Garden, WrestleMania 842 00:55:21,750 --> 00:55:24,450 I. Ricky Steamboat! 843 00:55:24,710 --> 00:55:27,730 I think the fans were starting to gravitate towards the dragon. 844 00:55:28,010 --> 00:55:29,010 Oh, wow! 845 00:55:29,110 --> 00:55:34,350 It's a 50 feet across the ring! He got him! He got him! Getting the nod of 846 00:55:34,350 --> 00:55:35,149 able to get... 847 00:55:35,150 --> 00:55:36,970 a win at the very first WrestleMania. 848 00:55:37,390 --> 00:55:41,570 It meant a lot to the Dragon. Yeah, it did. Take a look at the fantastic crowd 849 00:55:41,570 --> 00:55:45,450 here in Madison Square Garden for this WrestleMania extravaganza. 850 00:55:45,710 --> 00:55:51,030 Working with the caliber of talent that was on that card, Andre and Stud and 851 00:55:51,030 --> 00:55:55,970 King Kong Bundy, it's just like main event, main event, main event, main 852 00:55:55,990 --> 00:55:58,950 all the way to the end, and it just kept getting better and better. 853 00:55:59,170 --> 00:56:03,250 Weighing 273 pounds, Brutus! 854 00:56:03,880 --> 00:56:10,540 Bruce Beefcake was dressed to the nines and, 855 00:56:10,740 --> 00:56:16,000 you know, blowing kisses to the girls. And I got a big smile on my face because 856 00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:20,760 I'm just, that's Bruce Beefcake. I'm a cocky SOB. Sometimes people say it's... 857 00:56:21,120 --> 00:56:24,520 Better to be lucky than to be good. 250 pounds, baby, the biggest day of our 858 00:56:24,520 --> 00:56:27,980 life. Well, let me tell you how lucky Jimmy Hart was at WrestleMania I. I 859 00:56:27,980 --> 00:56:30,460 go out just one time. I went out two times. 860 00:56:30,680 --> 00:56:33,280 King Kong Bundy, of course, and Greg the Hammer Valentine. 861 00:56:42,440 --> 00:56:45,720 All right, fans, one of the big feature matches this afternoon, to defend 862 00:56:45,720 --> 00:56:49,080 against these two men, Nikolai Volkov and Iron Sheik with Fred Blassie in 863 00:56:49,080 --> 00:56:50,280 corner. You know what you mean? 864 00:56:50,540 --> 00:56:52,580 This is my best time in life. 865 00:56:52,800 --> 00:56:58,400 The Iron Sheik was a figure. When you go back to those real important years for 866 00:56:58,400 --> 00:57:03,840 the WWE, transforming from little gyms and, you know, territorial venues to 867 00:57:03,840 --> 00:57:07,590 peace. this monstrosity of what it became and what it is today. 868 00:57:07,810 --> 00:57:12,610 The Iron Sheik was a big part of that. This is the height of the Cold War, and 869 00:57:12,610 --> 00:57:17,790 you've got this guy coming out and spitting, Iran number one, USA have a 870 00:57:17,990 --> 00:57:22,210 Iran number one, USA have a tui. 871 00:57:23,230 --> 00:57:27,490 And you couldn't stand, you wanted to wring his neck. From the Soviet Union, 872 00:57:27,830 --> 00:57:30,430 Nikolai Volkov. 873 00:57:30,810 --> 00:57:32,890 When he would sing the national anthem. 874 00:57:44,810 --> 00:57:47,350 I don't care how old you were, you wanted to put your hand through the 875 00:57:47,350 --> 00:57:51,550 and suffocate the guy. Finish called for the Iron Sheik to grab the walking 876 00:57:51,550 --> 00:57:56,030 stick from his manager, Classy Freddie Glassie, and bust it over the head of 877 00:57:56,030 --> 00:57:57,030 of his opponents. 878 00:57:57,630 --> 00:58:04,210 And the Iron Sheik told me that he was so 879 00:58:04,210 --> 00:58:09,250 fired up, he was so excited about being there, he literally busted that cane 880 00:58:09,250 --> 00:58:10,250 over the guy's head. 881 00:58:16,910 --> 00:58:20,790 And there was this palpable buzz that just did not leave. 882 00:58:21,030 --> 00:58:25,610 Holy mackerel, this wrestling extravaganza of WrestleMania has been 883 00:58:25,610 --> 00:58:32,530 short of sensational. If the gentleman to my left is slammed, he loses $15 884 00:58:32,530 --> 00:58:34,890 ,000 in cash. 885 00:58:35,430 --> 00:58:41,730 If his opponent does not slam this man in the ring, he will retire 886 00:58:41,730 --> 00:58:43,710 from professional wrestling. 887 00:58:45,740 --> 00:58:49,360 The sheer threat of Andre having to retire, those things were gripping. 888 00:58:50,280 --> 00:58:54,160 You really fed into that as a fan. 889 00:58:54,480 --> 00:58:56,940 So you're on the edge of your seat. Oh, come on, dude, don't get slammed. 890 00:58:57,820 --> 00:59:04,420 I mean, it felt so real. It felt so final. So 891 00:59:04,420 --> 00:59:08,280 there was angst that whole match. There was real tension and there was real 892 00:59:08,280 --> 00:59:09,280 theater. 893 00:59:09,600 --> 00:59:14,040 so nervous for my friend andre if he couldn't slam big john stud andre was 894 00:59:14,040 --> 00:59:18,560 to have to retire and go away and i i believed it oh my god what was going to 895 00:59:18,560 --> 00:59:19,560 happen 896 00:59:42,570 --> 00:59:46,090 But then Bobby Heenan, that weasel, grabbed that bag of money. 897 00:59:46,390 --> 00:59:53,230 And nobody knew this was going to happen. Bobby was going into business 898 00:59:53,230 --> 00:59:54,230 for himself. 899 00:59:54,690 --> 00:59:58,750 My dad's in the back losing his mind that this money is just being thrown 900 00:59:58,750 --> 01:00:02,550 around. And finally, Andre was able to grab the bag out of Heenan's hand. 901 01:00:03,390 --> 01:00:05,230 And so goes the story. 902 01:00:05,810 --> 01:00:08,710 It's the ladies' WWF title match. 903 01:00:09,310 --> 01:00:11,950 And it is also the first of our... 904 01:00:12,710 --> 01:00:13,710 Good gracious. 905 01:00:14,230 --> 01:00:18,290 Oh, good luck. Something like that. But it is the first of our Rattling Rock 906 01:00:18,290 --> 01:00:19,390 connection matches. 907 01:00:19,670 --> 01:00:21,850 Cindy Lauper, Wendy Richter, a big one for you. 908 01:00:22,090 --> 01:00:23,290 That's right, me, Gene. 909 01:00:24,480 --> 01:00:27,940 Lanny Carr, you better watch out because these are powerful words because this 910 01:00:27,940 --> 01:00:31,540 is a powerful woman. And I'm a powerful manager now because I was taught by 911 01:00:31,540 --> 01:00:36,160 Captain Lou Albano just how to manage. It's something that I trained for for 912 01:00:36,160 --> 01:00:38,600 years. I started wrestling when I was 18. 913 01:00:38,900 --> 01:00:43,100 And even though that was WrestleMania I, it never happened before. It was the 914 01:00:43,100 --> 01:00:46,880 biggest event I'd ever wrestled. WrestleMania, the greatest thing in the 915 01:00:46,920 --> 01:00:51,320 Like I said before, Woodstock wants to rock and roll what WrestleMania is to 916 01:00:51,320 --> 01:00:53,620 wrestling today. It's an adrenaline. 917 01:00:53,840 --> 01:01:00,000 unlike any other. Nothing replaces how I felt in wrestling, especially that 918 01:01:00,000 --> 01:01:01,000 night. 919 01:01:01,580 --> 01:01:07,100 I wanted to be a role model for the girls, so I tried very hard to be that 920 01:01:07,100 --> 01:01:08,100 model. 921 01:01:08,700 --> 01:01:12,340 It was like a dream. 922 01:01:12,660 --> 01:01:18,360 I knew what was going on, but yet it was kind of like I was floating almost. I 923 01:01:18,360 --> 01:01:20,380 was that excited about it. 924 01:01:23,760 --> 01:01:27,980 Just like an athlete for the Olympics, you train to peak at that time. I was 925 01:01:27,980 --> 01:01:30,600 peaked. I was prepared that night. Well, 926 01:01:31,880 --> 01:01:36,040 it was the first time my father ever saw me wrestle. So having him, you know, 927 01:01:36,040 --> 01:01:41,240 one -on -one sport like that and at Madison Square Garden and Cyndi Lauper, 928 01:01:41,240 --> 01:01:43,140 was probably the highlight of my life. 929 01:01:43,920 --> 01:01:45,180 I'll never forget it. 930 01:01:53,200 --> 01:01:57,380 I know it was electric at the garden. It was wired. 931 01:01:57,760 --> 01:02:01,680 The winner of this vote, Wendy Richter. 932 01:02:02,240 --> 01:02:07,940 The static is Cindy Lauper and Wendy Richter, and the fabulous one bent 933 01:02:07,940 --> 01:02:09,280 completely out of shape. 934 01:02:12,400 --> 01:02:15,480 Look at the flashes going all over the garden, you know. 935 01:02:16,740 --> 01:02:22,020 And the masses were loving it. The people, young, old. 936 01:02:22,480 --> 01:02:27,540 Wrestling fans, rock fans, everybody was just rolling with this. History made 937 01:02:27,540 --> 01:02:28,900 again here at WrestleMania. 938 01:02:29,400 --> 01:02:30,720 I mean, it was just amazing. 939 01:02:31,020 --> 01:02:32,840 I could feel the rumble. 940 01:02:33,080 --> 01:02:36,680 You'd have to be dead not to feel it. Man, the energy and the people. 941 01:02:37,020 --> 01:02:40,780 God, man, it was something I would never forget that. What's it going to be like 942 01:02:40,780 --> 01:02:41,940 for that main event? 943 01:02:43,640 --> 01:02:48,440 I started going, oh my God, now that I realize what's going on here, this is 944 01:02:48,440 --> 01:02:49,440 a dress rehearsal. 945 01:02:50,180 --> 01:02:53,940 This is actually happening, and you have an opportunity. 946 01:02:54,540 --> 01:02:58,480 You better take it and run with it because you don't go around the block 947 01:02:58,800 --> 01:03:03,720 We'll see. We'll find out. It won't take long to find out. He'll be put to the 948 01:03:03,720 --> 01:03:04,720 test immediately. 949 01:03:05,100 --> 01:03:09,200 Oh, my gosh. If we have a bad match, you know, and WrestleMania falls flat on 950 01:03:09,200 --> 01:03:10,200 his face, we're done. 951 01:03:13,340 --> 01:03:18,200 Ladies and gentlemen, in just a few moments, we will... 952 01:03:18,650 --> 01:03:21,130 have our main event. 953 01:03:22,250 --> 01:03:26,710 I have thought many times about what it would have been like to be at the Garden 954 01:03:26,710 --> 01:03:27,770 for WrestleMania I. 955 01:03:28,310 --> 01:03:31,030 Honestly, I don't think I could have physically handled it. I think that I 956 01:03:31,030 --> 01:03:33,850 probably would have combusted. I would have had to be hospitalized. 957 01:03:34,250 --> 01:03:38,490 Big scores to be settled here as the happening of the century is about to go 958 01:03:38,490 --> 01:03:39,570 down here on WrestleMania. 959 01:03:40,090 --> 01:03:44,330 After my match, I remember standing behind the curtain watching the main 960 01:03:44,790 --> 01:03:46,630 I was peeking through that curtain. 961 01:03:47,050 --> 01:03:48,910 Because I didn't want to miss this main event. 962 01:03:49,510 --> 01:03:55,890 May I introduce to you the guest ring announcer, New York's number 963 01:03:55,890 --> 01:03:58,710 one, Billy Martin. 964 01:04:01,590 --> 01:04:06,090 Liberace about to make an appearance here in the garden. Here we're at a 965 01:04:06,090 --> 01:04:10,290 wrestling match and you've got Liberace and the Radio City Rockettes doing New 966 01:04:10,290 --> 01:04:11,590 York, New York. 967 01:04:13,130 --> 01:04:15,510 Liberace's got a pretty fair kick there, you know. 968 01:04:17,640 --> 01:04:19,260 Give me a break. 969 01:04:19,620 --> 01:04:24,860 You can hear the fans saying, Ali, Ali, for whom I consider the greatest 970 01:04:24,860 --> 01:04:27,320 heavyweight champion in the world. Here he is. 971 01:04:28,060 --> 01:04:29,520 Unbelievable individual. 972 01:04:30,360 --> 01:04:31,380 The greatest. 973 01:04:31,600 --> 01:04:35,040 The mere presence of Muhammad Ali validated WrestleMania. 974 01:04:35,560 --> 01:04:39,460 Ali stepping through the ring ropes to a standing ovation. 975 01:04:40,720 --> 01:04:45,940 Because think about what Muhammad Ali meant to that ring, meant to that venue. 976 01:04:46,570 --> 01:04:47,570 To the world. 977 01:04:48,050 --> 01:04:49,650 I hear the drums, Jess. 978 01:04:50,910 --> 01:04:53,130 Sounds like Bagpipe City, maybe. 979 01:04:58,750 --> 01:05:03,810 Then the building exploded because here comes Mr. T and Hulk Hogan and Jimmy 980 01:05:03,810 --> 01:05:04,870 Superfly Snooker. 981 01:05:08,290 --> 01:05:12,290 This could be none other than you -know -who, World Wrestling Federation 982 01:05:12,290 --> 01:05:15,190 champion, there he is, the Incredible Hulk. 983 01:05:17,880 --> 01:05:24,820 How about a tag team for the main event of WrestleMania 1? Has there ever been a 984 01:05:24,820 --> 01:05:27,740 tag team match in the main event of WrestleMania since? 985 01:05:30,280 --> 01:05:36,420 So there was this palpable 986 01:05:36,420 --> 01:05:41,180 trepidation the day of WrestleMania where nobody knew what was going to 987 01:05:46,319 --> 01:05:47,700 Team's precision train. 988 01:05:48,420 --> 01:05:50,460 Unbelievable coming to this moment. 989 01:05:50,780 --> 01:05:55,900 This moment, the biggest moment, the biggest match in the history of 990 01:05:56,300 --> 01:06:00,100 So now it's Piper and Hulk Hogan in the middle of the ring. And I'm jumping on 991 01:06:00,100 --> 01:06:02,900 the side. No, I want him, I want him. Let me get him, let me get him. 992 01:06:03,180 --> 01:06:05,060 Where the crowd's now telling the Hulkster. 993 01:06:05,260 --> 01:06:06,260 You're looking. 994 01:06:06,420 --> 01:06:07,760 Teasers, please let me in. 995 01:06:09,380 --> 01:06:12,560 Can you believe this? Can you point your foot? You want me to tag him, huh? 996 01:06:12,840 --> 01:06:14,680 You want me to tag this guy here? 997 01:06:17,890 --> 01:06:24,610 When those two stepped into the ring for WrestleMania, Roddy Piper was watching 998 01:06:24,610 --> 01:06:26,750 himself. He was expecting Mr. 999 01:06:27,010 --> 01:06:28,610 T to double -cross him somehow. 1000 01:06:29,010 --> 01:06:33,710 Here's the thing about Piper. Piper is so smart. He's smart like a fox. 1001 01:06:34,130 --> 01:06:38,740 Sometimes if he didn't let... The guys in the dressing room even know what he 1002 01:06:38,740 --> 01:06:43,020 was thinking or what he was doing. Fans are chanting, T, T, T, and they're going 1003 01:06:43,020 --> 01:06:44,020 nose to nose. 1004 01:06:44,380 --> 01:06:49,060 Mr. T and Rowdy Roddy Piper, nose to nose in the center of the ring. When 1005 01:06:49,060 --> 01:06:49,879 and Mr. 1006 01:06:49,880 --> 01:06:56,060 T go nose to nose, I mean, it was electric, dude. Mr. T had a skill set 1007 01:06:56,060 --> 01:07:01,920 being an amateur wrestler, and we accentuated his, you know, strong points 1008 01:07:01,920 --> 01:07:03,400 just stayed away from any weaknesses. 1009 01:07:03,700 --> 01:07:07,980 With the WrestleMania I with Vince, Vince was, oh, there's many ways to do 1010 01:07:07,980 --> 01:07:09,160 hot rod. I said, no, Vince. 1011 01:07:09,760 --> 01:07:14,660 With Mr. T, if he comes in and starts banging heads and throwing, you know, 1012 01:07:14,760 --> 01:07:18,260 hokey punches, it's going to kill it. I'm telling you, Vince, I've been there 1013 01:07:18,260 --> 01:07:20,920 before. Keep it amateur with T. And we did. 1014 01:07:21,160 --> 01:07:22,420 He slapped me, bang. 1015 01:07:22,780 --> 01:07:24,620 Oh, slap across the face. 1016 01:07:24,820 --> 01:07:25,960 And I slapped him, bang. 1017 01:07:26,300 --> 01:07:27,700 And a return slap by Mr. 1018 01:07:27,900 --> 01:07:29,540 T. And he slapped me again, bang. 1019 01:07:30,120 --> 01:07:32,920 Look at this. They're exchanging slaps. Oh, Mike. 1020 01:07:33,650 --> 01:07:35,410 You know, we was enemies. 1021 01:07:35,770 --> 01:07:38,330 One point, he put Mr. 1022 01:07:38,530 --> 01:07:42,930 T in a front face lock just to keep him honest. He just wanted Mr. 1023 01:07:43,130 --> 01:07:45,550 T to know I'm the one in charge of it. 1024 01:07:45,810 --> 01:07:51,430 My job was to make sure he didn't get hurt and get killed because, you know, I 1025 01:07:51,430 --> 01:07:55,510 hate to say it this way, but Piper and Orndorff didn't like him. Later on in 1026 01:07:55,510 --> 01:07:58,570 match, it was Roddy Piper who told Mr. 1027 01:07:58,810 --> 01:08:00,990 T, pick me up in a fireman's carry. 1028 01:08:01,450 --> 01:08:04,150 And Mr. T put him over his shoulders and spun him around. 1029 01:08:06,590 --> 01:08:07,070 And 1030 01:08:07,070 --> 01:08:17,090 that 1031 01:08:17,090 --> 01:08:19,670 was the photo that went all over the world. 1032 01:08:35,920 --> 01:08:41,279 Here comes Ali in the ring, and he's swinging. He's trying to get Orndorff. 1033 01:08:41,279 --> 01:08:43,680 trying to get Piper. Ali stepped right in there. 1034 01:08:44,100 --> 01:08:46,300 Oh, look at Ali. He took a shot at Piper. 1035 01:08:46,560 --> 01:08:50,500 We're all standing behind the curtain, and when Muhammad took the shot and 1036 01:08:50,500 --> 01:08:52,359 went down, I cringed. 1037 01:08:53,340 --> 01:08:58,660 I cringed. And when he came through the curtain backstage, he just, 1038 01:08:58,779 --> 01:09:02,220 okay. And I went, Roddy. 1039 01:09:02,660 --> 01:09:04,979 I said, man, it looked like he tagged you. 1040 01:09:05,500 --> 01:09:07,720 Ricky, his knuckle did this. 1041 01:09:10,180 --> 01:09:11,700 He just tapped my chin. 1042 01:09:12,260 --> 01:09:13,859 That's how good he still was. 1043 01:09:14,660 --> 01:09:17,000 Ali chasing Ace out of the ring. 1044 01:09:17,460 --> 01:09:22,700 The former champion of the world is taking control of the ring and driving 1045 01:09:22,700 --> 01:09:24,200 Bob Orton back to the floor. 1046 01:09:24,540 --> 01:09:29,680 There was a decision made to let Pat Patterson be the referee in the ring and 1047 01:09:29,680 --> 01:09:32,399 put Ali on the outside. He took a couple wild swings. 1048 01:09:33,020 --> 01:09:35,180 You know, that if he had connected, it would have been party over. 1049 01:09:35,439 --> 01:09:37,899 I had to control this whole goddamn thing. 1050 01:09:38,240 --> 01:09:39,560 Man, man, the pressure. 1051 01:09:40,000 --> 01:09:41,340 It was unbelievable. 1052 01:09:41,620 --> 01:09:44,279 And then finally the finish comes to the match, and the place explodes. 1053 01:09:45,220 --> 01:09:46,859 Probably see, man, the crowd going to pop. 1054 01:09:47,060 --> 01:09:51,060 Double team, maybe triple team up in here. In my mind, there was always the 1055 01:09:51,060 --> 01:09:52,840 threat of, who's the threat? 1056 01:09:53,819 --> 01:09:54,820 Cowboy Bob. 1057 01:09:54,920 --> 01:10:00,360 Paul had Hogan hooked, and I went up on the top rope and come off, and Hogan 1058 01:10:00,360 --> 01:10:01,360 moved, and I hit Paul. 1059 01:10:01,960 --> 01:10:04,040 As Piper was about to lower the move, look out! 1060 01:10:04,760 --> 01:10:05,760 Unbelievable! 1061 01:10:06,640 --> 01:10:11,340 When the cast stopped to cover Brett Patterson, he got out! 1062 01:10:20,110 --> 01:10:24,130 We know that Hulk Hogan moved out of the way, and Cowboy Bob Horton hit Mr. 1063 01:10:24,270 --> 01:10:26,050 Wonderful Paul Orndorff with the cast. 1064 01:10:26,310 --> 01:10:29,170 I stayed there as long as I could, and I said, I've got to remember this. I've 1065 01:10:29,170 --> 01:10:32,030 got to remember this the rest of my life, and I still do to this day. 1066 01:10:32,330 --> 01:10:36,970 WrestleMania I was a missile fired at the rest of the industry. 1067 01:10:37,250 --> 01:10:42,590 If you were doing anything else that day but watching WrestleMania, you were a 1068 01:10:42,590 --> 01:10:44,570 sucker because you were missing something. 1069 01:10:44,970 --> 01:10:46,370 What an ending for WrestleMania. 1070 01:10:47,200 --> 01:10:51,300 The most phenomenal wrestling card ever put together in the history of 1071 01:10:51,300 --> 01:10:52,300 professional wrestling. 1072 01:10:52,540 --> 01:10:56,060 It's hard to grasp what Hulk Hogan meant at that point. 1073 01:10:56,460 --> 01:11:00,000 And we all know what Muhammad Ali means in hindsight, obviously. 1074 01:11:00,240 --> 01:11:06,400 But to have those two in that ring in the center of New York City, I mean, 1075 01:11:06,520 --> 01:11:08,220 that's just top shelf stuff. 1076 01:11:08,460 --> 01:11:12,580 Muhammad Ali, you always put his arm around and whisper in my ear. 1077 01:11:12,860 --> 01:11:14,320 Just the greatest of all time, 1078 01:11:15,140 --> 01:11:16,140 Hulk Hogan. 1079 01:11:16,300 --> 01:11:17,500 You're the greatest of all time. 1080 01:11:17,800 --> 01:11:21,620 Every time I saw him, he'd do that. I said, no, you're the greatest of all 1081 01:11:22,520 --> 01:11:29,100 Everything that a kid could want in 1985 happened at WrestleMania I. Hulk Hogan, 1082 01:11:29,220 --> 01:11:33,040 Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali. 1083 01:11:33,400 --> 01:11:35,600 It was just bananas. 1084 01:11:42,980 --> 01:11:46,920 pandemonium bedlam breaking out of the garden wrestlemania and what a fitting 1085 01:11:46,920 --> 01:11:53,660 conclusion jimmy superfly sucker hulk hogan and mr t what was it like what was 1086 01:11:53,660 --> 01:11:56,840 going through your mind it was rough like i said i trained hard we've been 1087 01:11:56,840 --> 01:12:01,640 training a long time the world wrestling federation hulk hogan i'm glad to be a 1088 01:12:01,640 --> 01:12:04,560 part it's rough out there like i said i didn't take the guys lightly i came from 1089 01:12:04,560 --> 01:12:10,580 the traditional wrestling group that was very skeptical about wrestlemania and 1090 01:12:10,580 --> 01:12:17,070 how dare They allow outsiders and celebrities to get into our ring. But 1091 01:12:17,070 --> 01:12:21,950 something? WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Superfly, Jimmy Snuka, we reign 1092 01:12:21,950 --> 01:12:26,550 supreme. Can you dig that? At the same time, very intrigued. 1093 01:12:26,790 --> 01:12:29,070 From an insider's point of view, it was like, okay. 1094 01:12:29,630 --> 01:12:30,790 They did that. Now what? 1095 01:12:31,130 --> 01:12:34,990 There's a new craze sweeping the nation, but it's nothing more than the old 1096 01:12:34,990 --> 01:12:37,710 -time professional wrestling, but with a new twist. 1097 01:12:37,970 --> 01:12:42,230 The morning after WrestleMania I, the Associated Press reported that one 1098 01:12:42,230 --> 01:12:45,710 people watched the spectacular on closed -circuit television. 1099 01:12:46,030 --> 01:12:48,810 And I come into school the next day. I'm like, dude, it was sick. It was crazy. 1100 01:12:48,930 --> 01:12:53,250 Hogan missed it. It was wild. Oh, my God. It was the Super Bowl. 1101 01:12:53,850 --> 01:12:55,030 Once the thing hits. 1102 01:12:55,450 --> 01:12:58,490 You know, it's like pushing the nuclear button. We didn't realize that once 1103 01:12:58,490 --> 01:13:02,410 Vince pushed that button, the rockets were launched, that we were going to the 1104 01:13:02,410 --> 01:13:07,590 moon. The promoters say the combination of bear hugs, rock and roll, glamour, 1105 01:13:07,590 --> 01:13:12,050 and brutality always means a sellout house. Lately, it's been emerging from 1106 01:13:12,050 --> 01:13:15,910 second -rate arenas to attract a whole new generation of fans. 1107 01:13:17,000 --> 01:13:21,580 As soon as WrestleMania hit and we had all that publicity and we were on every 1108 01:13:21,580 --> 01:13:26,380 damn media show, every TV station, I don't care what network it was. 1109 01:13:26,380 --> 01:13:30,200 this June in a video retailer in your area, WrestleMania, the World Wrestling 1110 01:13:30,200 --> 01:13:33,800 Federation home video series presents a two -hour cassette of the greatest 1111 01:13:33,800 --> 01:13:38,040 professional wrestling event of all time. Yes, I've seen WrestleMania 1. I 1112 01:13:38,040 --> 01:13:41,300 the VHS tape. I watched it until it basically stopped working. 1113 01:13:41,640 --> 01:13:45,780 All of the merchandising that came after WrestleMania 1 was a... 1114 01:13:46,220 --> 01:13:47,640 Star marketing scheme. 1115 01:13:47,940 --> 01:13:51,940 Wrestling superstars taking on a whole new twist with the new WWF Stretch 1116 01:13:51,940 --> 01:13:58,340 Wrestlers. I remember Linda McMahon telling me that they were driving 1117 01:13:58,340 --> 01:14:03,360 and Vince was looking at his son Shane playing with G .I. Joe's in the 1118 01:14:03,460 --> 01:14:08,500 And he said, one day people are going to be playing with WWE action figures. 1119 01:14:08,800 --> 01:14:12,940 With wrestling superstars. It's like having a real match right in your own 1120 01:14:13,340 --> 01:14:15,860 Did I have any WWE merchandise? 1121 01:14:16,220 --> 01:14:17,220 Boy, did I. 1122 01:14:17,340 --> 01:14:20,840 Anytime I went to the toy store, I was going straight to the action figures. 1123 01:14:21,060 --> 01:14:22,060 The Iron Sheik. 1124 01:14:25,320 --> 01:14:26,320 Hulk Hogan. 1125 01:14:26,880 --> 01:14:29,940 And Big John Studd. T -shirts. I had towels. 1126 01:14:30,260 --> 01:14:32,200 They made an ice cream bar with me on it. 1127 01:14:32,520 --> 01:14:34,140 Superstars. Ice cream bars. 1128 01:14:34,620 --> 01:14:38,040 Go to the store. Go to 7 -Eleven. Get a big gulp. And you turn the cup around. 1129 01:14:38,440 --> 01:14:39,700 Geez, there's Brutus. 1130 01:14:40,940 --> 01:14:45,060 Now you're asking mom and dad and Santa for all these toys and the Hot Rod 1131 01:14:45,060 --> 01:14:47,840 shirts and the Hulkamania shirts and everything else that they sold. 1132 01:14:48,620 --> 01:14:53,680 It was a WWE takeover. Really reeled the kids in. And, of course, they went to 1133 01:14:53,680 --> 01:14:56,960 the parents to buy merchandise. And Vince just went crazy with it because 1134 01:14:56,960 --> 01:14:57,959 everything sold. 1135 01:14:57,960 --> 01:14:58,960 Everything worked. 1136 01:15:09,520 --> 01:15:13,800 Man, after that we were like, this ain't nothing, man, we can do this. 1137 01:15:14,420 --> 01:15:19,120 Wrestling every night, wrestling twice on Saturdays and twice on Sundays 1138 01:15:19,120 --> 01:15:22,280 sometimes. Wrestlers have never seen anything like that. 1139 01:15:22,600 --> 01:15:24,500 Wendy became a household name. 1140 01:15:24,720 --> 01:15:30,480 I went to visit my grandparents right after WrestleMania and I was jogging 1141 01:15:30,480 --> 01:15:34,800 my father. People ran out of their houses and said, there's Wendy Richard. 1142 01:15:34,800 --> 01:15:35,800 saying, oh my gosh. 1143 01:15:36,760 --> 01:15:38,680 The country took off with us. 1144 01:15:39,000 --> 01:15:45,960 As superstars, as rock stars, as movie stars, as every star in the universe. 1145 01:15:46,340 --> 01:15:49,060 We were part of this unbelievable pop culture that was taking place. 1146 01:15:49,740 --> 01:15:54,660 Prior to the WrestleMania era, there were families that didn't allow their 1147 01:15:54,660 --> 01:15:56,220 children to watch WWE. 1148 01:15:56,920 --> 01:16:02,540 Now, their kids are watching cartoon shows featuring Roddy Piper and the Iron 1149 01:16:02,540 --> 01:16:04,020 Sheik. Is his name Mr. King? 1150 01:16:04,670 --> 01:16:05,690 How did you know? 1151 01:16:06,070 --> 01:16:08,910 Because he invited us for a brief cruise, too. 1152 01:16:09,350 --> 01:16:10,350 Oh, no! 1153 01:16:10,390 --> 01:16:12,070 He's going to sign us! 1154 01:16:12,470 --> 01:16:16,950 It kind of, like, made me the superhero that Vince wanted me to be, the rock and 1155 01:16:16,950 --> 01:16:18,050 wrestling cartoon. 1156 01:16:19,690 --> 01:16:23,430 This thing's catching on, man. It's like the fever, and there are thousands and 1157 01:16:23,430 --> 01:16:24,830 thousands of Hulkamaniacs around. 1158 01:16:25,150 --> 01:16:28,150 It is definitely an superhero in the sky now! 1159 01:16:28,570 --> 01:16:32,690 Seeing Hulk Hogan all of a sudden go from Hulk Hogan to... 1160 01:16:33,689 --> 01:16:34,730 Hulk Hogan. 1161 01:16:36,710 --> 01:16:43,530 He is the focal point of the entire 1162 01:16:43,530 --> 01:16:46,390 United States of America and most of the free world. 1163 01:16:46,650 --> 01:16:50,910 After WrestleMania, he couldn't stop me. I mean, I was invincible. 1164 01:16:51,290 --> 01:16:55,730 I don't know if anybody's ever been over like Hogan was at that time. Gosh, how 1165 01:16:55,730 --> 01:16:57,070 many people just loved him. 1166 01:17:01,400 --> 01:17:02,880 Hulk Hogan was box office. 1167 01:17:03,280 --> 01:17:04,800 Hulk Hogan was ratings. 1168 01:17:05,300 --> 01:17:09,340 That's why I'm carrying the red, white, and blue, brother. I'm proud of America. 1169 01:17:09,460 --> 01:17:11,640 I stand for this country. He was everywhere. 1170 01:17:12,180 --> 01:17:16,160 Sports Illustrated. I mean, my gosh, you couldn't turn a TV on without seeing 1171 01:17:16,160 --> 01:17:17,160 Hulk and everything. 1172 01:17:20,940 --> 01:17:22,500 I loved Hulk Hogan. 1173 01:17:23,980 --> 01:17:26,180 Saying my prayers. I was taking my vitamins. 1174 01:17:26,420 --> 01:17:30,400 I mean, I was a Hulkamaniac. Hulkamania needs to be fought for every day. 1175 01:17:30,560 --> 01:17:34,260 Training, saying your prayers, and eating your vitamins. Anybody can point 1176 01:17:34,260 --> 01:17:37,960 crowd. Anybody can do that. But he punctuated it perfectly. 1177 01:17:38,280 --> 01:17:42,720 He had the perfect physique, the perfect presentation, the perfect connection. 1178 01:17:42,960 --> 01:17:44,680 He just resonated with everybody. 1179 01:17:46,720 --> 01:17:49,000 Well, I jumped on this crazy lightning bolt. 1180 01:17:49,320 --> 01:17:53,760 that Vincent sparked, and I was riding it. It just never, ever stopped. 1181 01:17:54,320 --> 01:17:58,100 Hulkamania shall live forever, long after I'm gone. 1182 01:17:58,460 --> 01:18:03,020 All right, he is the heavyweight champion of the world, ladies and 1183 01:18:03,020 --> 01:18:05,320 is number one, Hulk Hogan. 1184 01:18:10,160 --> 01:18:13,860 Look at the stare of the champion against the challenger. 1185 01:18:14,900 --> 01:18:17,380 WrestleMania has kind of become that... 1186 01:18:17,820 --> 01:18:19,300 visual point of WWE. 1187 01:18:23,020 --> 01:18:29,320 WrestleMania is a phenomenon, and it kind of transcends pro wrestling. 1188 01:18:29,520 --> 01:18:33,580 Like, the average person who doesn't pay attention to wrestling at all knows 1189 01:18:33,580 --> 01:18:35,660 what WrestleMania is. It's a household name. 1190 01:18:36,680 --> 01:18:42,920 It was Vince expanding the business, 1191 01:18:43,320 --> 01:18:45,260 taking over the whole world. 1192 01:18:49,420 --> 01:18:51,680 It takes so much hard work. 1193 01:18:52,680 --> 01:18:56,320 It takes so much creativity, so much vision. 1194 01:18:57,180 --> 01:19:02,660 He really saw a product that would appeal to the masses in a way that it 1195 01:19:02,660 --> 01:19:03,519 had before. 1196 01:19:03,520 --> 01:19:09,420 And that was what his goal was when he started to make changes in WWE. And he 1197 01:19:09,420 --> 01:19:11,860 coined the phrase sports entertainment. 1198 01:19:13,900 --> 01:19:16,380 Some of these insiders hate the term sports entertainment. 1199 01:19:16,700 --> 01:19:20,300 Screw them. I was in wrestling. It didn't pay any money. Sports 1200 01:19:20,300 --> 01:19:22,400 does. Pro wrestling wasn't a thing. 1201 01:19:22,680 --> 01:19:26,560 WWE wasn't a thing. And it was all at once. There was a shift in how people 1202 01:19:26,560 --> 01:19:27,560 thought about it. 1203 01:19:27,760 --> 01:19:29,980 And WrestleMania, that was the stamp. 1204 01:19:30,220 --> 01:19:36,300 That was the launching point to take the business of what we call professional 1205 01:19:36,300 --> 01:19:37,300 wrestling. 1206 01:19:37,460 --> 01:19:40,840 They're watching what Vince McMahon created. 1207 01:19:42,570 --> 01:19:46,430 and saw on this one day, March 31st, 1985, 1208 01:19:47,210 --> 01:19:49,630 WrestleMania in Madison Square Garden. 1209 01:19:50,690 --> 01:19:55,910 Everything sprung out and happened from there. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to 1210 01:19:55,910 --> 01:19:56,910 WrestleMania! 1211 01:19:57,770 --> 01:20:00,610 He had a dream, and buddy, the dream came true. 1212 01:20:08,590 --> 01:20:12,130 WrestleMania, while the name itself conjures up images of... 1213 01:20:12,430 --> 01:20:18,310 celebrity, of pageantry, of extraordinary athleticism, of pomp, of 1214 01:20:18,490 --> 01:20:22,310 It is the quintessential sports entertainment event. 1215 01:20:22,570 --> 01:20:26,590 Vince was 38 years old when he presented the first WrestleMania. 1216 01:20:27,110 --> 01:20:33,390 You know, I didn't realize that 38 years later, things would still be rocking as 1217 01:20:33,390 --> 01:20:34,209 they are today. 1218 01:20:34,210 --> 01:20:39,330 70 ,000 plus here at AT andT Stadium. A lot of the superstars that I've spoke to 1219 01:20:39,330 --> 01:20:43,040 over the years privately about it thought, This is just a one and done. 1220 01:20:43,040 --> 01:20:44,040 going to do this big event. 1221 01:20:44,260 --> 01:20:45,260 Cool. Give it publicity. 1222 01:20:45,580 --> 01:20:48,500 Get a big payday. And we'll move on. But this is never going to happen. 1223 01:20:51,140 --> 01:20:52,140 How did they know? 1224 01:20:52,440 --> 01:20:55,700 Welcome to Wrestlemania! 1225 01:21:00,560 --> 01:21:07,340 What people thought 1226 01:21:07,340 --> 01:21:10,000 was going to be the thing that killed wrestling. 1227 01:21:10,680 --> 01:21:15,540 is what took it to the next level, and that was deciding to come out and tell 1228 01:21:15,540 --> 01:21:16,740 people it was entertainment. 1229 01:21:17,120 --> 01:21:24,100 This entire building has become unglued as once again the Hulkster holds up the 1230 01:21:24,100 --> 01:21:28,540 gold. It's very rare that you meet a person who has never heard of 1231 01:21:29,020 --> 01:21:32,560 When you really think about how far WrestleMania has come, 100 ,000 people 1232 01:21:32,560 --> 01:21:34,020 some of the stadiums that we're in now. 1233 01:21:34,680 --> 01:21:37,980 WrestleMania is not one night. It's two nights. 1234 01:21:38,500 --> 01:21:43,100 However... many people the building can hold, that's how many people are going 1235 01:21:43,100 --> 01:21:45,380 to be there. And that is the staple. 1236 01:21:45,700 --> 01:21:47,440 That's how far we have come. 1237 01:21:47,820 --> 01:21:51,100 And it's only going to get bigger. And it's only going to get better. 1238 01:21:52,040 --> 01:21:56,500 When the rock says wrestle, the people will say mania. 1239 01:21:56,920 --> 01:21:57,920 Wrestle! 1240 01:21:58,900 --> 01:21:59,900 Wrestle! 1241 01:22:00,920 --> 01:22:01,920 Wrestle! 1242 01:22:03,760 --> 01:22:05,360 The Super Bowl is cool. 1243 01:22:06,340 --> 01:22:08,220 But the game might suck. 1244 01:22:09,719 --> 01:22:11,060 WrestleMania never sucks. 1245 01:22:11,340 --> 01:22:15,780 You are always going to have multiple moments during WrestleMania where you 1246 01:22:15,820 --> 01:22:16,900 that was awesome. 1247 01:22:17,120 --> 01:22:22,720 I'm still stunned at how big it is. It has gone from being WrestleMania, a lone 1248 01:22:22,720 --> 01:22:28,760 show, WrestleMania weekend, to WrestleMania week, to WrestleMania 1249 01:22:28,760 --> 01:22:29,760 season. 1250 01:22:30,640 --> 01:22:35,760 When you get into this business, I think the first goal that goes into your head 1251 01:22:35,760 --> 01:22:37,520 is, I want to main event WrestleMania. 1252 01:22:39,640 --> 01:22:43,700 It's such a dangling gold carrot that everybody is chasing. It's just in your 1253 01:22:43,700 --> 01:22:47,560 blood and you want to do it again and again and again. Every year, is this 1254 01:22:47,560 --> 01:22:49,000 to sell? Is it going to do well? 1255 01:22:49,220 --> 01:22:53,280 Are people going to dig it? Is it going to be as big as it could be? Every year, 1256 01:22:53,320 --> 01:22:56,160 Vince still holds his breath at WrestleMania. 1257 01:22:56,740 --> 01:22:59,820 Every year I go, there's no way we're going to top this year. And then the 1258 01:22:59,820 --> 01:23:01,560 year comes and I go, oh wow, we just topped it. 1259 01:23:01,980 --> 01:23:06,760 Vince was creating the ultimate spectacle, and the success was mind 1260 01:23:07,040 --> 01:23:10,960 I mean, it literally takes every single different person from so many different 1261 01:23:10,960 --> 01:23:15,920 walks of life to make an event like this happen. And all of these people bet 1262 01:23:15,920 --> 01:23:20,840 their money and their passion and their heart on Vince McMahon making it happen. 1263 01:23:20,880 --> 01:23:24,080 And like usual, he came through. 1264 01:23:26,980 --> 01:23:30,760 You know, it's amazing how you could sit back sometimes and think about... 1265 01:23:30,990 --> 01:23:33,230 How lucky we are to be part of WrestleMania 1. 1266 01:23:33,450 --> 01:23:39,610 It was amazing and an honor to be able to participate, be part of the show, be 1267 01:23:39,610 --> 01:23:41,150 part of those special group of guys. 1268 01:23:41,430 --> 01:23:43,510 History made again here at WrestleMania. 1269 01:23:44,170 --> 01:23:45,870 Remember those who dug the hole. 1270 01:23:46,090 --> 01:23:51,330 It's true because without those that came before us, we wouldn't have what we 1271 01:23:51,330 --> 01:23:52,129 have today. 1272 01:23:52,130 --> 01:23:55,230 We're just getting down to it, just the last handful of guys that were at the 1273 01:23:55,230 --> 01:23:56,230 very first Mania. 1274 01:23:56,330 --> 01:23:59,810 It's just amazing to look around and see that I'm one of the last. 1275 01:24:00,620 --> 01:24:04,380 people left of the original crew. Sounds like bagpipe city, baby. 1276 01:24:04,780 --> 01:24:09,240 I get choked up sometimes when I think about it because sometimes I sit back 1277 01:24:09,240 --> 01:24:13,480 think, you know, I'm peeking through a curtain and there's Rowdy Roddy Harper 1278 01:24:13,480 --> 01:24:18,080 who's no longer with us. I really loved Lou and Roddy as brothers. 1279 01:24:18,400 --> 01:24:22,000 I gotta say, I miss Lou a lot. 1280 01:24:22,280 --> 01:24:28,340 My fan, your fan, our fan, sitting there, lover. When they passed, And that 1281 01:24:28,340 --> 01:24:30,740 whole era kind of passed for me as well. 1282 01:24:35,520 --> 01:24:41,720 It's one of the few things in my life now that brings me back to a place in my 1283 01:24:41,720 --> 01:24:46,960 childhood. I remember the presentation of WrestleMania almost more than I do my 1284 01:24:46,960 --> 01:24:50,800 earliest World Series memory. It's seared into my mind. It's seared into my 1285 01:24:50,800 --> 01:24:51,800 heart. 1286 01:24:52,800 --> 01:24:56,580 If that one moment, that one event, that one... 1287 01:24:56,880 --> 01:25:01,580 spectacular moment in time of WrestleMania 1 doesn't happen. 1288 01:25:01,800 --> 01:25:06,840 Arguably, you could say none of this is here. The date, March 31, 1985, and the 1289 01:25:06,840 --> 01:25:09,800 greatest happening in the long and illustrious history of professional 1290 01:25:09,800 --> 01:25:12,400 wrestling. It's known as WrestleMania. 1291 01:25:12,940 --> 01:25:17,020 Well, wrestling fans around the world, we certainly want to thank everyone for 1292 01:25:17,020 --> 01:25:21,640 being with us. This WrestleMania, this wrestling event of all time.