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It was the spring of 1985 when Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation would ultimately give birth to what would become the greatest spectacle in all of sports and entertainment.
WrestleMania went live on March 31, 1985, before a sold-out crowd of 19,121 fans at the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden in New York City. In addition to the nearly 20 thousand fans in attendance, over 1 million viewers tuned in via closed-circuit television, making it the largest showing of any event to ever be witnessed on CCTV at that time.
WrestleMania was Vince McMahon's attempt to compete with Jim Crockett Promotions annual event known as Starrcade. Needless to say, as we prepare to witness the 34th annual WrestleMania, I'd say Vince got this one right.
In the coming weeks, we will take a look back at some of the WrestleMania's of the past and while doing so, we will catch up with the former Superstars who competed in one or more of the previous WrestleMania pay-per-view events and see what they are up to these days. Starting with WrestleMania 1.
Let's take a look at the winners from the matches at WrestleMania 1 and find out where they are today.
Tito Santana
Tito Santana defeated The Executioner via submission
If you were a fan of professional wrestling during the big run of the 1980's, then you certainly recall this crowd favorite. Tito Santana was one of those guys who always succeeded, yet never really brought any sort of negative attention to himself.
The two-time Intercontinental Champion was adored by fans all over the world. On a personal note, my favorite memories of Tito involve his time with Rick Martel as the popular tag team known as Strike Force.
Where is he now?
Believe it or not, this 64-year-old WWE Hall of Famer is still performing at a fairly consistent rate, with independent promotions all over the world. Tito also assists as a trainer at the Jersey-based wrestling school Independent Wrestling Federation.
Tito had his autobiography, Tito Santana's Tales From the Ring released in 2008. Prior to that, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the 2004 class.
King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy defeated S.D. Jones in a record-breaking time of 9 seconds.
King Kong Bundy was one of the first big men that became popular through the power of the network television era. Billed at 6'5" and weighing in at 468 pounds, Bundy was truly a feared villain of not only his time but in wrestling history in general.
Bundy became known for his plea to the referee to give a five-count upon his command. This was an attempt to add insult to injury when defeating his opponent.
Where is he now?
Following his time in the WWE, Bundy went on to have a very successful independent run. Thanks to the huge impact that was made during the 1980's wrestling revolution, King Kong Bundy was in high demand after leaving the company, resulting in plenty of phone calls from indie promotions all over the world.
Bundy completely retired from all in-ring action in 2007. While he no longer competes in the ring, he has been known to still accept bookings for photo-ops and autograph signings.
In mid-2016, Bundy was officially announced as one of the many names listed in a class-action lawsuit filed against WWE. In the lawsuit, a number of former WWE Superstars make the claim that WWE officials would often times misrepresent, or conceal the nature of injuries and that they would routinely fail to offer acceptable care to talent following injury.
Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat defeated Matt Borne in singles competition.
Ricky Steamboat would go on to become one of the most exciting performers of his time. Week-after-week, Steamboats reach was growing incredibly fast and eventually, Ricky was one of the most demanded stars by fans.
Throughout his career, Steamboat would win a ton of titles while with the NWA, including the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Ricky would also defeat Randy Savage at WrestleMania 3, where he would capture the Intercontinental Championship.
Where is he now?
Since retiring from in-ring action in 2010, Ricky has always made himself available when needed, to help WWE officials with NXT training, as well as a host of other needs. Steamboat would work with NXT talent for several years until recently stepping down to accept his new role as a company ambassador.
Ricky has two sons who are both pursuing careers as professional wrestlers.
Steamboat was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake & David Sammartino
Brutus Beefcake vs. David Sammartino ended in a double disqualification.
This match ended up being much better than many may have originally anticipated. However, I will say that Beefcake was the primary reason for the overall success of the bout. David Sammartino just never seemed like he genuinely cared about the sport as much as he probably should have, and that showed in his in-ring work.
Again, this one saw a lot of back-and-forth dramatics and while Beefcake probably deserved a clean win, the double DQ was indeed the only way to end this one.
Where are they now?
Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake
It has been quite a few years since Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake was in his prime with the WWE. However, the 60-year old WWE legend is still making the occasional rounds throughout the United States, making appearances for any independent promotion willing to book him.
Beefcake has not lived his golden years without controversy, though. While working for the Boston Transportation Authority in 2004, Brutus accidentally left a bag of cocaine behind at the Downtown Crossing location. Shortly after the incident, he checked into rehab.
David Sammartino
David Sammartino is the son of legendary Hall of Fame great Bruno Sammartino. Unfortunately, David was never able to really fill the shoes of his iconic dad, but he still would go on to put in a few good years in the business.
Now 57-years old, David is currently semi-retired, normally only accepting bookings for "legends" themed events. David has not had a very close relationship with his father, primarily due to his past issues with addiction. David claims he has been clean now since the early 90's.
Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog defeated Greg Valentine via count-out.
I can still remember this match very well as if it recently happened. Personally, this was my favorite contest of the entire evening. The fans were extremely excited about the possibility of JYD winning the Intercontinental Championship from Valentine.
While JYD did come out on top, he got the win via count-out, which ultimately resulted in Greg Valentine retaining the title.
Where is he now?
Junkyard Dog is and always will be one of the all-time most loved superstars by the fans. He had such a compelling persona and was capable of keeping the fans in his corner at all times.
On June 2, 1998, JYD was involved in a single vehicle accident while driving along Interstate 20 in Central Mississippi. Unfortunately, JYD was not able to survive the accident.
JYD was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
Nikolai Volkoff and Iron Sheik
The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff defeated The U.S. Express to become the new WWF Tag Team Champions.
Once dubbed "The Foreign Legion," The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff came together in 1985, under the watchful eye of their manager, 'Classie' Freddie Blassie. For the following 2 years, Volkoff and Sheik would dominate the tag team division and bring relevancy to the division at a time when tag team wrestling was really being overshadowed by major singles stars.
Where are they now?
In 2014, The Iron Sheik released his documentary film entitled "The Sheik." The film would actually do quite well and would gain a ton of great reviews by critics and fans alike. While he's in no shape to wrestle any longer, the 75-year old WWE Hall of Famer still takes bookings for autograph signings, as well as photo-ops.
Believe it or no, Nikolai Volkoff STILL wrestles! No, that is not a typo, Volkoff still climbs into a ring on occasion and locks up with opponents throughout the indie ranks.
Volkoff was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Andre The Giant
Andre The Giant defeated Big John Studd in a 15 thousand dollar body slam challenge.
One of the primary things that you would probably notice about WrestleMania 1, was how much of an actual spectacle it truly was. With the number of stars in attendance, combined with the various gimmick matches and other unique attraction, WrestleMania was definitely an event in which WWE officials went all-in on, understanding this was indeed a "go big, or go home" ordeal.
One of those mentioned special attractions was the Body Slam match featuring Andre The Giant and Big John Studd, where the winner would collect the 15 grand in prize money. However, there was another stipulation in place for Andre, which stated that if he lost, Andre would be forced to retire. But when it was all said and done, Andre did, in fact, get Studd up and over his shoulders, winning the contest.
Where is he now?
Andre was one of the most beloved and revered Superstars of all-time. He officially retired from in-ring action in 1992. Less than one-year later, it was announced that Andre had passed away after his personal chauffeur found him unresponsive, in his Paris hotel room.
Andre had passed in his sleep, after suffering from congestive heart failure. Andre was in Paris to attend his fathers funeral.
Per his wishes, Andre was cremated and his remains were scattered around his ranch in North Carolina.
Wendi Richter
Wendi Richter defeated Leilani Kai to become the new WWF Women's Champion.
This match featured then WWF Women's Champion Leilani Kai defending her title against Wendi Richter was a contest that would eventually lay the groundwork for future women's matches to be featured on a bigger platform.
With Cyndi Lauper appearing as a supporter for Richter, the match brought outside star power needed to draw fans that wouldn't have normally been interested in the product.
Where is she?
Since retiring in 2005, Wendi has been very vocal against the way WWE portrays the current female athletes. Despite her dissatisfaction with the company, Richter accepted a bid and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, class of 2010.
Wendi has also taken a new love in dog shows. She actively in professional dog shows, including the Westminister Kennel Club Dog Show series. It is also worth noting that Wendi also returned to school, eventually earning her degree in physical therapy, as well as her masters in occupational therapy.
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in tag action with Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson serving as special guest referee's.
It is important to understand the pressure WWE officials were facing at the time of WrestleMania. In this event, Vince and crew wanted to make sure that any and every detail was carefully and methodically thought out. Essentially, this was set to be a make or break situation for the company.
In order to make sure they had the very best opportunity to make the event a success, Vince wanted to bring out the star power, which he did. As previously mentioned, Cyndi Lauper participated earlier in the night, but in the main event, one of the biggest stars in all of the entertainment industry at the time, Mr. T, was brought on to compete as a special guest tag team partner for Hulk Hogan.
In the end, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan came out on top with the big win in the night's main event, defeating Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff and 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper.
Where are they now?
Hulk Hogan
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, then you are well aware of the controversy that has surrounded Hulk Hogan. Not only has he battled the drama stemming from the sex-tape fiasco, but there was also the leaked audio, which ultimately resulted in Hulk being terminated by WWE.
In the years since Hogan has indeed been on his own road to redemption. Hogan has publically denounced his remarks that were made in the leaked audio. Also, Hogan defeated Gawker Media in 2015. As a result of the lawsuit, Gawker was ordered to pay Hogan roughly $115 million dollars.
Hogan also owns "Hogan's Beach Shop," which currently operates 2 locations in Florida, one being in Clearwater Beach, while the other was recently opened in Orlando.
Mr. T
After decades of television and film success, Mr. T has pretty much retired from on-screen performing. His most recent television appearance came in the Spring of 2017, as Mr. T was a participant in the 24th season of 'Dancing With the Stars.'
Mr. T has dedicated most of his life to his ministry and his renewed Faith in Christianity. In 2014, Mr. T was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
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