10 memorable moments from WrestleMania 2

With the success of WrestleMania 1 still under his wings, Vince McMahon was flying high atop the wrestling world. The WWF had made a huge statement and while ultimate domination was not theirs just as yet, he knew that other companies around him had a mountain to climb if they wanted to catch up.

WrestleMania 2 is perhaps an example of Vince's ego getting the better of him. It still remains to this day the most ambitious WrestleMania of all time and while there were plenty of decent matches and signature moments along the way, it doesn't tend to make many people's top 10.

Continuing our series here at Sportskeeda, here are 10 memorable moments from Wrestlemania 2.

#1 Roddy Piper and Mr. T meet in a boxing match

While the first set of WrestleMania editions were undoubtedly a stage for Hulk Hogan, one of the biggest rivalries in the company back in the mid-1980s was the ongoing feud between Roddy Piper and Mr T.

Brought in as a way for Vince McMahon's WWF to truly bridge over into popular culture, Mr T is still to this day one of the most important celebrities to have ties to the Wrestling conglomerate. McMahon's plan was always to draw the attention that T would inevitably bring and make sure his athletes received a piece of that attention for themselves.

However, things were not seemingly harmonious backstage, with some wrestlers growing resentful that an untrained celebrity was not only stealing the spotlight from them but was actually doing it by competing in main events, inside the ropes.

The voice of this frustration was Piper, the man Mr T was primarily feuding with onscreen at the time. When it came to Wrestlemania 2, the pair had a chance to air their grievances for real, going toe to toe in a boxing match to close out the first hour of the show from New York.

Fearful that Piper would use this as an excuse to inflict real damage on his adversary, WWF management forced 'Hot Rod' to tape up his hands inside his boxing gloves, leaving his strikes all but ineffective. It was a clever move on Vince's part, as who knows how well his company would have survived a hefty lawsuit back then.

#2 The WWF meets the NFL

It's safe to say that Vince McMahon has had a complicated relationship with American Pro Football over the years. Given the recent announcement that the wrestling tycoon will be embarking on his second venture into the sport come 2020, this relationship is about to transcend to an entirely different level going forward.

Whatever Vince's motivations for trying to rival a giant the size of the NFL, the man has not been afraid to utilise the company for the benefit of his wrestling product. He has even devoted WrestleMania main events to footballers, with Lawerence Taylor coming face to face with Bam Bam Bigelow at Mania 11.

WrestleMania 2 also belongs very much in this category, with the Chicago section of the show hosting a 20 man Battle Royal pitting WWF Superstars against athletes from the NFL. The apex of the interaction was a face-off between William 'Refridgerator' Perry and Big John Studd.

While the moment might not carry the same level of importance in 2018, back in 1986 fans of both sports were on the edge of their seats with excitement and anticipation.

The conclusion of the match ultimately went the right way with three WWF Superstars closing out the match. However, given Vince's ambition to transcend Pro Wrestling and conquer the world of entertainment in general, this match was just what the card needed.

#3 Bobby Heenan forced to attend despite being injured

To take the position that Bobby Heenan is the greatest manager the WWF has ever had is not a mere vacuous claim owing to his recent passing last year. It is, in fact, a widely held opinion amongst wrestling fans that can be corroborated many times over through the simple use of footage.

Whether on the commentary table, accompanying his 'family' members to the ring or even backstage, Heenan left a gigantic footprint on the world of Sports Entertainment, something we are all thankful for.

One of the lesser known Heenan stories from WrestleMania 2 is yet a further example of the importance Vince McMahon placed on having the Weasel in front of the cameras. Heenan had spent the night before the show in hospital suffering a neck injury and for all intents and purposes was due to miss out on the action.

With Heenan being such a central figure in so many storylines throughout the 80s, Vince presumably felt it unacceptable for his face not to appear alongside his stable members.

With the real threat of 'future endeavour' orders being sent his way, Heenan agreed to discharge himself from his hospital bed temporary with enough time to take a few bumps for the fans before returning at the event's conclusion. Now that's dedication!

#4 Ozzy Osbourne's cameo

With the likes of Mr T and William Perry gracing the WrestleMania 2 stage, it is easy to forget that 'The Prince of Darkness' himself, Ozzy Osbourne, also made a memorable appearance at this show.

For British fans, in particular, Ozzy is one of those cultural icons that instantly brings a smile to our face. His delightfully over-the-top approach to life was just the kind of thing Vince McMahon was trying to embrace back in the mid-80s, and in that sense, it was a true match made in heaven.

Fittingly, Osbourne was paired up with fellow countrymen The British Bulldogs as they made their way to the ring to face the Dream Team of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine for the WWF Tag Team Championships.

This would prove to be a crowning moment for Davey Boy and Dynamite Kid, cementing them as one of the most beloved and celebrated teams of the Hogan Era. The match itself was a pure gem, with all four men possessing higher than average skills inside the ropes with the personalities to boot.

Having a solid match at a WWF PPV was effectively just another day at the office for the Bulldogs, but one thing fans will not forget in a hurry is the sight of Ozzy Osbourne in all this fabulous glory.

#5 Bruno Sammartino competes at WrestleMania

As COO Triple H once said in a recent interview, the WWE is generational in nature, a product that can easily be passed down from father to son and mother to daughter. It is hard to imagine now, but back in the mid-80s, the likes of Hogan, Savage, Steamboat and Jake Roberts were the younger generation tasked with carrying the company forward.

It is often said that without a Hulk Hogan there might never have been a WrestleMania, but what many often forget is that without a Bruno Sammartino, there might never have been a Hulk Hogan.

Sadly for Sammartino's career, the heights of popularity enjoyed by the WWF in the 80s came a few years too late. Despite now being considered a true living legend, Bruno cannot claim the same levels of notoriety as a Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin even though, for a particular age group, he was very much 'the man' of sports entertainment.

Thankfully, however, Sammartino was able to make his presence known during the first two WrestleMania events. Being in the corner of his son David at WrestleMania 1, the former WWWF Champion was able to step inside the ropes once more as part of the 20 man Battle Royal.

His involvement may have been brief in itself, but any ring time for Bruno had to be seen as a huge deal back in 1986 and the sight of him battling against the younger generation of superstars is a truly heartwarming and deserved moment indeed.

#6 Damien chokes out George Wells

Perhaps it is erroneous to call Jake Roberts an 'unsung hero' in terms of the annals of the WWF. Plenty of wrestling fans are quick to jump to the defence of the man as one of the greatest personalities the company has ever seen.

But considering his career overall, and the fact that he never got to hold the WWF Championship it's partly a testament to the sheer depth of the main event scene at the time, and partly a source of disappointment for viewers and commentators alike.

Roberts burst onto the WWF scene at WrestleMania 2, making his PPV debut against the jobber George Wells. Not only was he a hugely intriguing and charismatic persona in his own right, but his association with Damien the snake made him all the more fascinating, especially for younger viewers.

His match against Wells may not go down in the history books of all-time great WrestleMania matches, but the sight of Damien choking out Wells in the middle of the ring still lives in people's memories to this day.

The scene, whilst still a part of the kayfabe entertainment of the show, was enough to make fans freeze with both fear and amazement. With Wells frothing at the mouth and the evil Roberts standing over his victim, a true WWF character had been born. And as we all know, things would only get better from there.

#7 George Steele kicks out of Randy Savage's elbow drop

Fans of today might be fairly used to seeing wrestlers kick out of their opponents finishing moves. It is an ongoing debate in 2018 as to whether finishers are being undermined, with some arguing that overusing the near fall staple is making the product more predictable and formulaic.

Back at WrestleMania 2, this was far less common. Finishers actually lived up to their names whether it was Hogan's leg drop, Robert's DDT or Bundy's avalanche. Another signature move making the headlines at this time was Randy Savage's elbow drop.

Now a common move for a variety of superstars, the elbow drop was seen for a period of time as being synonymous with the Macho Man. Nobody could quite display the elegance of the move quite like him, and ever since his debut for the company shortly after WrestleMania 1, the move was pretty much protected.

The Intercontinental Championship match between Savage and George Steele was a solid affair, with an entertaining storyline that would continue right up until the following year's WrestleMania.

A signature moment of the match came when The Animal, flat on his back and facing the defeat, managed to kick out of Savage's patented high-risk move. The moment was enough to take fans aback with shock, increasingly the drama and intrigue in the process.

#8 Hogan and Bundy meet in the cage

after what is traditionally seen as a mixed bag of a WrestleMania show, the spotlight was eventually turned to the WWF's golden boy, Hulk Hogan and his ongoing battle with the Heenan Family, this time in the shape of King Kong Bundy.

Bundy had been orchestrating several attacks on the Hulkster in the lead up to the show, and it was decided that the two must face one on one for the WWF Championship match inside the steel cage.

While the match itself is not one of the more instantly memorable WrestleMania main events of all time, it did mark the first, and surprisingly only, occasion in which the steel cage stipulation has been used at Mania, not counting Hell in a Cell.

It was also the perfect way to round off such a long and convoluted card. If there was one thing Vince would have wanted from his WrestleMania 2 show it would have been the sight of the Hulkster battling it out in the main event and ultimately triumphing over evil.

Hogan and Bundy did some pretty decent business together during this time but it was fairly clear even then that the latter was no more than a holding piece until more worthy opponents could be thrown at the champion.

That being said, it was still a great time to be a wrestling fan, particularly if you were a self-confessed Hulkamaniac.

#9 The WWF Women's Championship is defended

Now that we are currently in the fourth year of the WWE 'Women's Revolution' it can be hard for younger fans to remember how little the company used to concentrate on the division's in-ring action.

For years, the females of the WWE were little more than support actors, looking glamorous whilst struggling to put on pallet cleanser matches to break up the rest of the main action.

As we approach WrestleMania 34, there is a real possibility that not only will both women's championship belts be defended on the show, but that both might end up on the main card. With Charlotte, Asuka, Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey currently in the mix, the women will be contributing to the show of shows in a way they never have before.

So it might come as some surprise to learn that WrestleMania 2 found time to host a WWF Women's Championship match back in 1986, with The Fabulous Moolah defeating Velvet McIntyre for the belt.

This would prove to be the final time the women's championship featured on WrestleMania for another 8 years.

#10 Wrestlemania is held over three cities on the same night

Despite what you might think about the size and importance of WrestleMania, there are those who still claim that without shows like Starrcade and promoters like Dusty Rhodes, Vince would not have invented the idea of a wrestling supercard.

There is definitely an element of truth to this. As we've learnt over the years, McMahon is much more effective at what he does when he is facing competition directly in the face. WrestleMania, in this sense, can be seen not just as a copy of Starrcade, but as a reaction to it. If they can do a supercard, so can I, went the thinking.

With the success of the first Mania, Vince and co. were eager to outdo themselves with the following year's event. One city was not enough for the ambitious egomaniac. Vince wanted to surpass anything that had been attempted before with WrestleMania 2 being held over three different cities on the same night.

On paper, this made a lot of sense. The US traditionally has three main media markets, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The WWF also had the advantage of being able to hit these three locations over three different time zones meaning each would get its own main event at a time most suited for mass viewing.

In reality, things came across a little differently. The action, as a whole, felt far too spread out to be coherent. The plan might also have been too large a feat for the technology of the time, with awkward silences and amateur looking cutaways, which hurt the professionalism that a company like the WWF is expected to demonstrate.

While there might have been a handful of entertaining matches on this card, it's probably fair to say that Vince's ambition far exceeded his talent on this occasion.

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