Welcome to my first ever re-booking blog. For this one we go all the way back to the original Wrestlemania and see if it could have been booked better. So to begin with let’s have a look at the card that took place.
Tito Santana vs. The Executioner
King Kong Bundy vs. Special Delivery Jones
Ricky Steamboat vs. Matt Borne
Brutus Beefcake vs. David Sammartino
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (c) vs. Junkyard Dog – Intercontinental Championship match
Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda (c) vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff – Tag Team Championship match
Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd – Andre’s Career vs. $15,000 Body Slam Challenge
Leilani Kai (c) vs. Wendi Richter – Women’s Championship match
Hulk Hogan & Mr T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff
Now let’s look at the roster we have to book.
| Faces | Heels |
| Andre The Giant | Big John Studd |
| Barry Windham (Tag Team Champion) | Bob Orton |
| Brian Blair | Bobby Heenan (Manager) |
| Davey Boy Smith | Bret Hart |
| David Sammartino | Brutus Beefcake |
| Dynamite Kid | Buddy Rose |
| Hillbilly Jim | Don Muraco |
| Hulk Hogan (WWF Champion) | George “The Animal” Steele |
| Ivan Putski | Great Gama |
| Jimmy Snuka | Greg Valentine (Intercontinental Champion) |
| Junkyard Dog | Jim Neidhart |
| Lou Albano (Manager) | Jimmy Hart (Manager) |
| Mike Rotunda (Tag Team Champion) | King Kong Bundy |
| Mr T | Matt Borne |
| Paul Roma | Moondog Rex |
| Ricky Steamboat | Moondog Spot |
| Rocky Johnson | Nikolai Volkoff |
| S.D. Jones | Paul Orndorff |
| Tito Santana | RT Reynolds |
| Tony Atlas | Rowdy Roddy Piper |
| Steve Lombardi | |
| Wendy Richter | Super Medico II |
| The Iron Sheik | |
| Leilani Kai (Women’s Champion) |
It’s a pretty stacked roster. I’ve now looked through the roster and picked out everybody who is worthy of making it onto the first Wrestlemania card, taking away those used mostly as enhancement talent, managers and those that are injured. It leaves me with the following roster:
Faces: Andre The Giant, David Sammartino, Hillbilly Jim, Hulk Hogan (c), Ivan Putski, Jimmy Snuka, Junkyard Dog, Mr T, Ricky Steamboat, Tito Santana, Windham & Rotunda (c), The British Bulldogs, Wendy Richter
Heels: Big John Studd, Bob Orton, Brutus Beefcake, Don Muraco, George “The Animal” Steele, Greg Valentine (c), King Kong Bundy, Matt Borne, Paul Orndorff, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Hart Foundation, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff, Leilani Kai (c)
Before I continue I would also like to state that I am considering the talent of the wrestlers at the time of this show. So teams like The Hart Foundation and British Bulldogs were still quite green so I have decided not to use them for this show. So without further ado, my re-booking of Wrestlemania.
Tito Santana vs. Brutus Beefcake
Original Wrestlemania matches: Tito Santana vs. The Executioner. Brutus Beefcake vs. David Sammartino
Background: These two men were intertwined around this time on the house show circuit in both singles and tag team matches. Brutus Beefcake’s tag team partner at the time Greg “The Hammer” Valentine was the man that defeated Tito for the Intercontinental Championship the previous the September. It makes a lot of sense for Beefcake and Santana to meet in a big match like this. Tito was still held in high regard at this point and was one of the top babyfaces in the company whilst Brutus Beefcake was still a little green and finding his feet. Tito to get the win tonight.
Result: Tito Santana wins by pinfall (6:49)
King Kong Bundy vs. Ivan Putski
Original Wrestlemania matches: King Kong Bundy vs. S.D. Jones
Background: King Kong Bundy was being booked as a monster at this point, winning squash matches with five counts from the referee. Ivan Putski was on his way out really and although he did get some wins on the road he was also losing to some of the bigger stars like Don Muraco and Paul Orndorff. Ivan would have been the perfect opponent for King Kong Bundy, an opponent who would have done the squash and put over the up and coming big man. Bundy would have taken longer to beat Purski than he did to beat Jones but still in under one minute.
Result: King Kong Bundy wins by pinfall (00:45)
Ricky Steamboat vs. Don Muraco (6:39)
Original Wrestlemania matches: Ricky Steamboat vs. Matt Borne
Background: Ricky Steamboat and Don Muraco would have many matches the summer following this Wrestlemania but I’m bringing their rivalry forward to a bigger spotlight. Don Muraco didn’t feature on the first Wrestlemania card, something that he puts down to the booker at the time, George Scott. This booker is putting Muraco in a big match against Ricky Steamboat though. They were natural enemies and I feel Muraco is a better opponent for Steamboat than Matt Borne would have been. This match would have had a big fight feel but in the end, Ricky Steamboat, hot from his NWA run, gets the victory.
Result: Ricky Steamboat wins by pinfall (6:39)
“Superfly” Jimmy Snuka vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton
Original Wrestlemania matches: Neither man wrestled on this show.
Background: These two men both served as cornermen for the Wrestlemania main event but it would have been even more fun if the two men have battled on the undercard. Bob Orton was a close ally to Roddy Piper whilst Jimmy Snuka will be forever remembered for the splash off the top of the cage at Madison Square Garden. These two men were battling on the live events at the time so why not bring it to the grandest stage of them all?
Result: Jimmy Snuka wins by disqualification (7:23)
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (c) vs. Junkyard Dog – Intercontinental Championship match
Original Wrestlemania match: Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (c) vs. Junkyard Dog
Background: This is the first match of the evening that I have decided to keep exactly as it was on the real card. I think Junkyard Dog was a great opponent for Greg Valentine’s Intercontinental Championship and I like how the match was booked.
Result: Junkyard Dog wins by countout (6:55)
Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda (c) vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff – Tag Team Championship match
Original Wrestlemania match: Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda (c) vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff
Background: This match stays as it was on the real card too. Windham and Rotunda didn’t really have their heart in the WWF at the time and had eyes for NWA. It made sense to take the tag team championships off them and this team of The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff were the perfect team to take the titles off them. Sheik wasn’t a year out of being world champion and still had a lot of heat.
Result: The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff win the Tag Team Championships by pinfall. (6:55)
Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd – Andre’s Career vs. $15,000 Body Slam Challenge
Original Wrestlemania match: Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd
Background: Another match that stays the same. Vince McMahon is a great booker and although there are some matches that I would do differently, this one is another that stays the same. The rivalry seemed right for the time and although it wasn’t a classic, this battle of the big men was a spectacle to behold.
Result: Andre The Giant wins by body slam (5:53)
Leilani Kai (c) vs. Wendi Richter – Women’s Championship match
Original Wrestlemania match: Leilani Kai (c) vs. Wendi Richter
Background: The women’s division at this point in time was a little sparse but there was a lot of exposure due to Cyndi Lauper being involved. The Fabulous Moolah was the other lady that could have been involved but instead she was in the corner of Leilani Kai. This match was all about Wendi Richter winning the title so it’ll play out in my re-booking exactly the same as it did in real life.
Result: Wendi Richter wins the Women’s Championship by pinfall (6:14)
Hulk Hogan & Mr T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff
Original Wrestlemania match: Hulk Hogan & Mr T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff
Background: I have decided to keep this match exactly the same as it went down in real life. This was prime Rock n Wrestling era and Mr T was a big part of getting Wrestlemania off the ground. Hulk Hogan and Mr T pick up the big win and pose to end the first ever Wrestlemania show. In some ways it would have been nice to have a World Championship match but having this tag team match does make perfect sense. Hulk Hogan and Mr T define the 1980’s.
Result: Hulk Hogan and Mr T win the match by pinfall. (13:34)
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