WWF Wrestlemania 2 Review

WWF Wrestlemania 2 Review
November 15, 2011 (edited February 28, 2023)
By Ryan Porzl

Event: Wrestlemania 2
Tagline: What the World Has Come to/The Premier Sporting Event of the Year!
Date: April 7, 1986
Location: Uniondale, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California
Live or Tape: Live
Arena(s): Nassau Coliseum, Rosemont Horizon, and LA Sports Arena
Attendance: 40,085 (Combined)
Announcers: Vince McMahon & Susan St. James (Uniondale); Gorilla Monsoon, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, & Cathy Lee Crosby (Chicago); Jesse "The Body" Ventura, "Lord" Alfred Hayes, and Elvira (Los Angeles)
Interviewers: Vince McMahon, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and "Lord" Alfred Hayes
Others: Ernie Ladd (guest commentator)
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View, Closed Circuit Television

This Wrestlemania is probably best known for it's gimmick. Six months earlier on November 28, 1985, Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW decided to have their yearly Starrcade in two venues which were the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina and the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia. Vince, wanting to prove he was the best in every way, decided to one up JCP by having Wrestlemania 2 be held in 3 venues instead of two and in three different time zones.

Part 1: Nassau Coliseum
Vince opens the show and introduces Susan St. James who will do commentary with him. St. James is an actress who was originally best known for co-starring in "McMillan and Wife" with movie legend Rock Hudson but by 1986 was the star of the sitcom "Kate and Allie". St. James is also the wife of former NBC Sports Executive Dick Ebersol who helped get Saturday Night's Main Event and the XFL off the ground for NBC. Well 1 out of 2 isn't bad. Howard Finkel is the ring announcer.

Ray Charles sings America the Beautiful complete with pictures of America and it's symbols and ends with a pic of Hogan. Ah, WWF Propaganda. Anyway, Charles was fine but not one of my favorite renditions at Wrestlemania.

Okerlund welcomes us from Chicago and mentions the 20 man WWF/NFL battle royal

We go to “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, and legendary boxing manager Lou Duva. Duva praises Piper as the best prospect known as he's trained diligently, he's in shape, and he'll do his job. Piper claims he grew his hair so the people can tell the difference between he and T. He says he's got the best coach to train him while T got “Smokin” Joe Frazier. He brags he didn't move an inch when a medicine ball was thrown at him. He then claims if T knocks him out he will quit boxing, wrestling, tiddlywinks, and dating girls but he'll still keep Orton. Well, that's a relief. Piper then mentions T wearing a kilt while claiming he will never shave his hair like an indian and paint himself black. I'll remember that part about not painting yourself black, Roddy, cause apparently you won't. Anyway, Piper was funny and entertaining.

Paul Orndorff vs. Magnificent Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji)- And with this, we get our first glimpse of the “Wrestlemania curse”. For those who don't know, the Wrestlemania curse is when a wrestler has a big prominent role like the main event of one Wrestlemania, only to be go to the opening match or a popcorn match in the next one. Case in point: Paul Orndorff, who went from main eventing the first Wrestlemania to being in the opening match here.

We start with voice-over comments of both Orndorff and Muraco as the match begins and it's awkward. Muraco says Orndorff was the embarrassment of Wrestlemania I and all of a sudden he's meeting Magnificent Muraco. He says Orndorff is about to become the embarrassment of Wrestlemania 2. Muraco finishes by saying Orndorff shouldn't forgot he's got the sinister Mr. Fuji in his corner at the Nassau Coliseum April '86.

Orndorff says hello to everyone in TV land and says everyone has been wondering how Mr. Wonderful is feeling and what's he been up to. He says he's been going to the gym more than he has in his life and tells Muraco that tonight he's going to be his.

They tie up with no one winning. They tie up again with Orndorff getting a side headlock but Muraco whips Orndorff to the ropes, drops down to the canvas, Orndorff jumps over, comes off, and Muraco catches him with a bodyslam. Muraco attempts to follow up but Orndorff kicks him off to a pop and bodyslams him. They tie up with Muraco muscling Orndorff into the corner and knees him. Orndorff reverses an irish whip to the corner and catches Muraco coming out of the corner with a back body drop to a pop. Orndorff gets an armdrag, drop toe hold, and applies an armbar. Muraco tries to escape by coming off the turnbuckles with an armdrag but Orndorff still holds on. Muraco gets up and Orndorff applies an arm wringer. Muraco tries to whip Orndorff but Orndorff still holds on and sends Muraco down. Muraco finally escapes with a samoan drop. Muraco rams Orndorff twice on the turnbuckles but Orndorff comes back and the two slug it out until they go over the top rope and out of the ring. They continue to fight at ringside with Muraco getting a side headlock but Orndorff whipping Muraco into the ring post but both are counted out at 4:10. After the match, Orndorff gets a chair while Muraco gets Fuji's cane but the referee separates them and Orndorff calls Muraco out in the ring but Muraco and Fuji leave. Fans are chanting "Bullshit" and who can blame them? Who has the opening match go to a double count out?

Thoughts: 1/2* Mediocre match with nothing big happening and a lousy finish. The biggest problem is we got mostly arm work that didn't amount to anything. It felt like one of those matches where the guys were trying to kill as much time as possible without doing much. I don't get doing arm work in a four minute match. The finish was weird as I like both guys but neither was on a hot streak and needed protecting. It just feels weird to have a non finish in the opening match.

Mr. T does an interview while the Fink announces the results from the opening match. T says it's not like him to talk before a big fight because he doesn't like talking and let's his fist do the talking. He says if Piper starts doing dirty stuff then he'll do dirty stuff. T says he's ready. Alright interview.

Before the next match, we get pre-recorded comments from Savage. Savage tells Steele by the end of tonight, Steele will be saying Savage is the greatest in the world. He says to Steele that Macho Man and Macho Madness are zeroing in on him at the biggest spectacle in the world. Another alright interview.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy Savage (c) (w/Miss Elizabeth) vs. George Steele- Story here is that Steele developed a crush on Elizabeth before he and Savage were to wrestle at Saturday Night's Main Event IV in January which doesn't sit well with Savage. Savage won the IC Title on February 8th during an event at the Boston Garden from Tito Santana. I know Savage was great but who's brilliant idea was it to put him with deadweight like Putski, JYD, and Steele early on in his WWF run?

Steele chases Savage in the ring until Savage bails and stalls. Back in, Steele chases Savage around again until Savage bails again and stalls some more. Steele chases Savage around the ring and follows him outside several times before finally grabbing Savage as he tries to get back into the ring and starts biting him in the ankle. Back in the ring, Savage hits a running knee but Steele gets a chokebomb. Steele punches Savage and tries to flirt with Elizabeth allowing Savage a chance to comeback with stomps while Steele is tangled on the ropes. Savage climbs the top turnbuckle and hits a fucked up diving high cross body for 2 as Steele's kick out sends Savage to floor. Back in, Steele works over Savage some more and tosses him out of the ring again. Savage crawls underneath the ring and jumps Steele from the other side with a jump knee. Savage whips Steele to the ropes but Steele comes back by coming off by biting Savage's arm.

Steele works over Savage in the corner but Savage rakes the eyes. Desperate and I mean DESPERATE for an edge, Savage goes to ringside and grabs flowers from an Elizabeth fan. "Surprisingly", Savage's new WMD has no effect and Steele bites Savage's arm again. Steele now uses the flowers as a weapon and Savage disappoints me by SELLING it. Steele whips Savage to the corner and starts biting into another turnbuckle for the stuffing and force feeds Savage three servings of stuffing. Savage bails and Steele follows until getting distracted by Elizabeth, allowing Savage a chance to come off the top turnbuckle with a diving double ax handle. Back in the ring, Savage gets the bodyslam, climbs the top turnbuckle, and comes off with the diving elbow drop for 2. Steele comes back by grabbing the nose and rams Savage in the corner with Savage doing a flip in the corner. Steele stomps at Savage until the referee separates them. Steele approaches Savage but Savage gets a double leg takedown on Steele and covers with his feet on the ropes for leverage to retain at 5:10.

Thoughts: -*** For the botched cross body, endless stalling & running around, Steele's limited offense and the pathetic "weapons" such as turnbuckle padding and flowers. To me, this match is probably the worst match of 1986 for all the points mentioned. The finish also felt lame as Steele kicks out of Savage's diving elbow only for Savage to get the win via cheating moments later. Another problem with this match is where both guys were at this point. Steele turned 49 in 1986 and by all accounts, he wasn't great in his prime so you can imagine how limited he is at nearly 50. To be fair, it isn't all Steele's fault as Savage was still less than a year from leaving Memphis and still had that Memphis heel mentality going on with the stalling. Savage is rightfully fondly remembered as a great competitor but people do forget he was, at times, lackluster in 1985/1986 and it took some time for him to shake that crap off.

Okerlund interviews "Big" John Studd and NFL player Bill Fralic. Fralic says the time for talking is over and he wants to get his hands on the Studd or Dud before pushing Studd. Okerlund tries to maintain order as Studd says Fralic has no class because he's a football player before calling out Perry. Funny part as Studd crushes a football telling Fralic he's not playing with a football while Okerlund says Studd's out of line. Fralic tells Studd they'll see what he's made of. An entertaining promo and kind of funny that Studd was out of line crushing a football.

Jake Roberts vs. George Wells- Roberts was only a few weeks into his WWF run debuting on March 2nd at a house show in the Maple Leaf Gardens while his televised debut was the March 22, 1986 edition of All Star Wrestling. Wells was a football player for the Canadian Football League and enjoyed some success in several NWA territories including Stampede in Canada and Big Time Wrestling in San Francisco while competing in Mid-South Wrestling as Master Gee as one of several attempts by Bill Watts to replace the Junkyard Dog. This was his only notable highlight in the WWF.

Roberts tries to jump Wells but gets jabbed several times. Well whips Roberts to the ropes and catches him with a back body drop. Wells get a punch and a european uppercut but Roberts comes back with a punch to the stomach and tosses Wells out. Roberts follows only to get punched and thrown back in. Roberts gets a side headlock, Wells whips him to the ropes, drops his head too soon, Roberts comes off the ropes with a leapfrog, and Wells comes off the other side with a shoulder block. Wells works on Roberts for a bit, whips him to a corner, and catches him coming out of the corner with a flying head scissor takedown to a pop. Wells follows with a bodyslam and knocks Roberts down with a chop. Wells then hits a knee lift. Wells whips Roberts to the ropes and catches him with a powerslam gets 2. Roberts comes back by raking the eyes and bails out of the ring, allowing Wells to follow him and then hits a knee lift on Wells on the way back to the ring. Roberts hits the (not yet named) DDT for the win at 3:15. Afterwards, Roberts wraps Damien on Wells.

Thoughts: * Alright match that was a bit short but strangely booked as it was mostly one-sided until Roberts got the finish. As many pointed out, you would've thought this would've been to showcase the recently arrived Roberts but he got almost nothing in before the finish. I know one theory was it was to get the DDT over but still weird. Give both credit as Wells had some good offense and Roberts was good bumping and selling.

Clips leading up to Piper/T

Jesse Ventura interviews Hulk Hogan and says Hogan's ribs are injured and he's facing the biggest and toughest man he's ever faced inside a steel cage and he can't believe he would do something like that as champion of the world. Hogan tells Ventura he doesn't care what he thinks and that Ventura is paid to ask questions. He says whether his ribs are busted or not, he'll defend this world heavyweight title as it's everything he believes in, the little Hulksters, and America. Hogan says Bundy is going down and it doesn't matter about the ribs. He says as far as Mr. T and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, he predicts T will win. Hogan says because T fights for what he believes in and Piper, like Ventura, take a lot of shortcuts and go down awful quick. Ventura says good guys don't always finish first. Solid Hogan promo, I was more into the fact Ventura was interviewing Hogan since you never see that often and it's interesting in retrospect giving how much Ventura hates Hogan in real life though that wasn't till later.

The Fink announces the celebrities for the boxing match. Joan Rivers is the ring announcer. Darryl Dawkins, Cab Calloway, and G. Gordon Liddy are the judges. Dawkins was an NBA player who played with the Philadelphia 76s and the (then) New Jersey Nets in the 1970s. Calloway was a singer, songwriter, and band leader once associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem while having done acting including for The Blues Brothers. Liddy is best known as a criminal who participated in the Watergate Scandal in the early 1970s and served jail time as a result. He later became a conservative radio host, author, and actor. Herb, who was the short lived mascot of Burger King, is the timekeeper. It's hard to believe there's a bigger joke celebrity than Snooki at a Wrestlemania but Herb fits the bill.

Boxing Match: Mr. T (w/Joe Frazier & The Haiti Kid) vs. Roddy Piper (w/Lou Duva & Bob Orton)- The story here began at the first Wrestlemania where T and Piper were on opposing teams. The feud was revived at Saturday Night's Main Event V in March 1986 when T took on Orton in a fixed boxing fight which he won only to take a beating from Piper and Orton afterwards. The Haiti Kid is a mini wrestler who is here after Piper and Orton cut his hair on the March 8th edition of Championship Wrestling after he said he hoped T would beat Piper. Even though this is a boxing match, it's obviously fixed. Duva was a legendary boxing manager and trainer, having worked with Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and Meldrick Taylor to name some. I think we know who “Smokin” Joe Frazier was.

Round 1 has Piper throwing jabs while T punches the stomach. Piper gets a few cheapshots during a break up attempt. T and Piper continue to fight after the bell.

Round 2 has the ref wipe off some excessive vaseline off Piper's face. Piper works over T on the ropes and the ref breaks them up several times. Piper knocks T down with 1 minute left and T gets up at 8. We get a “Roddy” chant as T gets knocked down again after the bell and Piper gets a cheap shot.

Round 3 has T make the comeback by working Piper over in the corner and knocks him down in the corner and Piper gets up at 8. T continues the offense as fans chant “T”. T knocks Piper down and Piper rolls out of the ring but makes it back at 9. Boxing would be hilarious if fighters can bail to take a breather. During the break, T calls out Piper and Piper responds by throwing his stool at T. Yet another thing that should be allowed in Boxing, ok maybe not, but it's nice to see WWF offering boxing a few new tips for their fights.

Round 4 has the two exchange punches with Piper knocking T's mouthpiece out. T starts to get the advantage until Piper shoves the ref and bodyslams T to get disqualified.

Thoughts: No rating I'm not going to rate it but it was good for a fixed boxing fight as I didn't mind it and thought it was funny at times. The only real complaint was probably the finish as they wanted T to win without making Piper look bad. You could argue Piper should've won but I do get letting the New York portion end on a happy note and Piper's run as a heel was winding down so it doesn't hurt for him to lose. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave this their Worst Match of the Year award but really it wasn't that bad and Savage/Steele was way worse.

Merchandise moment as we can get a program for $6. T-Shirt for all sizes for $14.

We get the kickass "The Recognize Symbol of Excellence in Sports Entertainment" WWF Logo

Part 2: Rosemont Horizon
Monsoon and Okerlund open up the Chicago portion and introduce Cathy Lee Crosby. Crosby was best known for hosting the TV show "That's Incredible!" from 1980-1984. Chet Coppeck is the ring announcer. Coppeck was a TV and radio personality who also did sports talk, I believe, in the Chicago area. He later returned to the WWF to call Wrestlemania X with Monsoon for RadioWWF.

WWF Women's Championship: The Fabulous Moolah (c) vs. Velvet McIntyre- You know as much as I hated the WWE Women's divisions during the late 2000s to early 2020s, at least I can take comfort in knowing the title is not around the waist of a 62 year old like Moolah. I don't get what Moolah had on WWF to get clout and still be getting pushed in her 60s. Moolah regained the championship on November 25th from Wendi Richter in the “Original Screwjob” which I've talked about in previous reviews.

Moolah jumps McIntyre to start with an awful shoulder block, snapmares her several times with her hair, and hits a weak forearm. Moolah whips McIntyre to the ropes and catches her with a weak forearm. Moolah whips McIntyre to the ropes, misses a clothesline, McIntyre comes off the ropes with a leapfrog, and hits two single leg dropkicks. McIntyre whips Moolah to ropes and catches her with an elbow. McIntyre hits a bodyslam and climbs the second turnbuckle but misses the splash and Moolah pins to retain at 1:25 with the referee not seeing McIntyre's foot on the rope.

Thoughts: DUD Not much to say as it only went less than 90 seconds but I guess I should be grateful as Moolah really had no business wrestling at this point, let alone a long match but McIntyre probably deserved better. McIntyre was fine and Moolah's snapmares looked good but the rest of her offense was poor. I didn't get the finish with the referee missing the foot on the rope. These two would meet again later in the year during a tour of Australia in July 1986 where McIntyre got a brief reign with the title.

Flag Match: Corporal Kirchner vs. Nikolai Volkoff (w/"Classy" Freddie Blassie)- This is a flag match but unlike the usual flag rules (Capture the opponents flag), this is an average match with the winner getting both flags. The story here, besides the whole USA/Soviet Union stuff, was Volkoff beat Kirchner in a “Peace” match on Saturday Night's Main Event IV in January after using cheapshots in what was supposed to be a scientific wrestling match.

Volkoff hits a spin kick and knee to start. Volkoff stomps Kirchner and tosses him to the outside. Volkoff follows out by ramming him in the ring post and bites Kirchner while blading him. Volkoff rams Kirchner into the ring post and goes back in. Back in the ring, Kirchner makes a come back and we get a ref bump. Blassie tries to throw his cane to Volkoff but stupidly does it while Kirchner is right in front of Volkoff. Sure enough, Kirchner intercepts it and nails Volkoff with it to get the win at 2:05. Kirchner decides not to get the Soviet flag and just gets Old Glory, so what was the point of the "Flag" stipulation again?

Thoughts: DUD Again, too short to mean anything and I don't get why. I'm not expecting a classic from these two but still what was the point? Was this show running short on time? Anyway, it wasn't horrible but too short. The offense was fine but the finish was lame as Blassie looked like a complete idiot tossing the cane right in front of Kirchner while Kirchner was looking at him. They telegraphed that spot badly. This was the peak of Kirchner's WWF run as he largely became a jobber to the stars after this, supposedly, because wrestlers weren't comfortable working with him due to him being stiff in the ring. After a suspension for drug use, he left the following year, eventually making a bigger name for himself in Japan.

Okerlund introduces the celebrities for the battle royal. Clara Peller from Wendy's famous "Where's The Beef?" commercials is the guest timekeeper. She tries to do her “Where's The Beef?” catchphrase but the mic doesn't work. Football legends Dick Butkis and Ed "Too Tall" Jones are the guest refs. Butkis, notably, is best known for his time in the Chicago Bears so he's a crowd favorite.

20 Man WWF/NFL Battle Royal: Andre the Giant vs. John Studd vs. Pedro Morales vs. Jimbo Covert vs. Tony Atlas vs. Ted Arcidi vs. Harvey Martin vs. Dan Spivey vs. Hillbilly Jim vs. King Tonga vs. The Iron Sheik vs. Ernie Holmes vs. Brian Blair vs. Jim Brunzel vs. Bill Fralic vs. Bret Hart vs. Jim Neidhart vs. Russ Francis vs. Bruno Sammartino vs. William Perry- Interesting notes to mention. King Tonga is better known as Haku/Meng, Russ Francis' father Ed Francis was a wrestler and promoter in Hawaii, and Bill Fralic made his first WWF appearance here. He would make another in 1993 by taking part in Yokozuna's Star's and Stripes Challenge (Yokozuna Bodyslam Challenge). The big gimmick here is you got not only fourteen WWF wrestlers but six NFL players. Covert and Perry were playing for the Bears at the time so they get a big pop. I love Okerlund emphasized the word "only" when introducing Bruno Sammartino as wrestling's ONLY Living Legend. I wonder if that was a fuck you to Larry Zbyzsko, if so, good. Speaking of Sammartino, it was nice to see him and Morales get a Wrestlemania match giving their history as top attractions for the WWF in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. Ernie Ladd joins for commentary which makes sense as he's a former wrestler and football player.

Typical Battle Royal brawling begins. Several wrestlers try to dump Perry but Covert saves him. Fralic dumps Covert and Tonga out. Andre dumps Francis but he holds on and re-enters the ring. Sammartino dumps Holmes out. Brunzell gets dumped by Neidhart. Perry dumps Atlas and the Chicago crowd loves it. Martin and Morales go out courtesy of each other. Blair nearly is gone out but he holds on. Jim, Spivey, Sheik, and Blair dump Arcidi. Sheik backdrops Spivey out and dumps both Jim and Blair. Sheik and Studd dump Fralic. Sammartino backdrops Sheik out. Sammartino tries to eliminate Studd but Studd rakes the eyes and eliminates Sammartino. Perry nearly tackles both Hart and Neidhart out of the ring but both hold on. Perry tackles Studd but a second attempt is blocked and he's eliminated. Perry offers a handshake and pulls Studd out, eliminating him. The Hart Foundation double dropkick Andre who gets tangled in the ropes and eliminate Francis. The Harts double team Andre for a bit as the fans chant “Andre”. Andre makes the comeback when Neidhart whips Bret into him but gets the boot up. Andre hits a noggin knocker. Andre whips Neidhart to the ropes and catches him with a big boot that sends Neidhart out. Bret climbs the top turnbuckle but Andre grabs him off the top and throws him out onto Neidhart to win at 9:13.

Thoughts: *** Fun Battle Royal and a cool concept with the NFL players. At nine minutes, it wasn't too short or too long so I thought it had the right amount of time. Andre winning was a no-brainer cause who else would it be? It is weird to think this was the last time Andre would get his hand raised at a Wrestlemania despite appearing in four more. Again, it was nice to see guys like Sammartino and Morales get a Wrestlemania match, even if it was a battle royal.

Vince and Susan interview Roddy Piper. Piper tells T that if he came for a picnic that he would've brought a lunch. He accuses T and Perry of cheating as he says he saw Perry pull John Studd out and accused T of rubbed his head into Piper's eyes but said nothing T could do could hurt him. He said he would retire if he got knocked out but he had fight after fight left and he doesn't have to shave his head like an indian and he doesn't have to paint himself black (that is until Wrestlemania VI). He brings up T and Frazier wearing a kilt and that it was the best he ever looked from the waist down. Susan isn't buying it and says it's blarney while we get a replay of the end with Vince bringing up Piper believing he was losing but Piper denies it. He brings up bodyslamming him on his head but that does nothing which is why he attacked the body. He then asked if they saw him carried out with a tear in his eye? Another solid promo.

Okerlund interviews Jimbo Covert. Covert complains he got cheated as he helped Perry and got rid of Tonga but Fralic eliminated him from behind. Okerlund then brings in The Iron Sheik who says they proved to America that wrestlers are better than football players and then poses for the camera. Not the best interview from Covert. I know he's not a wrestler but he comes off like a sore loser since in battle royals, it's every man for himself. Sheik was alright.

WWF World Tag Team Championship: The Dream Team (c) (w/"Luscious" Johnny Valiant) vs. The British Bulldogs (w/"Captain" Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne)- Monsoon asks what Osbourne will do for the Bulldogs? Maybe help them score some drugs after the show? The Bulldogs had received several title shots at the Dream Team for several months, mostly at the house show circuit, and this was their last shot for the titles. According to Beefcake, the original plan was for the US Express to challenge and win the championships after the Dream Team defeated them for the gold in August 1985 but Barry Windham left in the fall and Mike Rotundo took a leave of absence so we got the Bulldogs here. There are two refs for this bout with one in the ring and one outside.

Smith and Valentine start with a tie up with Smith shoving Valentine to the canvas. Smith starts working over Valentine. Valentine gets a takedown but misses an elbow and Smith gets an arm wringer. Valentine whips Smith off and catches him with a hip toss but misses a chop. Tag to Dynamite who works over Valentine and rams him into the corner with Valentine doing a timber. Dynamite covers but gets 2. Dynamite gets a side headlock, Valentine whips him to the ropes, Valentine drops to the canvas, Dynamite jumps over, and comes off with a shoulder block that knocks Valentine into the corner. Dynamite stomps away on Valentine and hits a snap suplex. Dynamite follows with an elbow drop. Tag to Smith with the two fight for a suplex which Smith gets for 2. Valentine bails for a time out and eventually returns. Valentine makes the comeback by getting some forearms in the corner. Smith reverses a whip to another corner but drops his head too soon and Valentine comes out with an elbow drop. Valentine drops a headbutt to the legs. Tag to Beefcake who gets some arm wringers but Smith escapes with a gorilla press slam. Tag to Dynamite who whips Beefcake to the ropes and catches him with a clothesline, followed by a chop for 2. Small package gets 2. Dynamite rams Beefcake's head into Smith's knee. Tag to Smith who hits a fisherman's suplex for 2.

Smith gets a front facelock but Beefcake makes it back to his corner. Tag to Valentine who comes off the top with an elbow while Beefcake is holding Smith. Valentine hits a suplex for 2. Valentine hits an elbow and locks in a chinlock. Smith gets to his feet and tags Dynamite. Dynamite works over Valentine into the corner where he hits some forearms and shoulder thrusts. Dynamite forearms the back for 2. The Bulldogs make quick tag, double team whip Valentine to the ropes, and catch him with a double shoulder block. Beefcake comes in illegally to hit Dynamite which gives Valentine the edge but not for long as Valentine whips Dynamite to the ropes and Dynamite comes off with a sunset flip for 2. Dynamite hits a pendulum backbreaker but Beefcake breaks up the pin at 2. Dynamite drops a knee for 2. Valentine comes back with forearms and a piledriver for 2. Another pins gets 2. Valentine tris to kick his legs up but Dynamite gets his up and crotches Valentine. 

Valentine climbs to the top but gets thrown off and Dynamite pins for 2. Smith and Beefcake start brawling and Beefcake bails. Dynamite bodyslams Valentine and Smith attempts to press slam Dynamite onto Valentine but Valentine bails. Dynamite throws him back in the ring, Valentine gains the advantage but Dynamite tags Smith who hits the running powerslam for 2. Suplex gets 2. Smith gets whipped into the ring post. Valentine gets hammerlock and tags Beefcake who gets a second rope chop. Beefcake works the hammerlock. Smith tries to escape but gets dropped back first and arm first. Beefcake rams Smith in his corner arm first and tags Valentine who drops an elbow off the top turnbuckle. Valentine hits a shoulder breaker and attempts the pin but picks Smith's head up at 2. Big Mistake. Sure enough, Smith whips Valentine into Dynamites head knocking him out and Smith pins for the win and the titles at 13:03 to a big pop.

Thoughts: **** Best match of the night but probably not surprising as these teams had good chemistry, the Bulldogs could do no wrong during this time, and the Dream Team were an underrated team. Most of the match was the Bulldogs beating up the Dream Team but that's fine as Valentine and Beefcake can bump good while the Bulldog's had great offense. The finish was creative with Smith ramming Valentine into Dynamite's skull to knock him out. My only real complaint was I would've liked to see more of Beefcake in the ring as it felt like Valentine was in 90% of the time. I know Valentine was the workhorse but still. Watching this match is a little sad knowing this was the last time both Valentine and Beefcake held WWF gold and it's really sad when you look at both. In Valentine's case, he came back to the WWF strong and within two years held two of the three men's titles only to never touch gold again despite working for the WWF for another six years after this. Beefcake is even sadder as it's been said he was all but confirmed to get a run with the Intercontinental Championship several times over the next several years only for fate to constantly intervene.

Okerlund interviews The Bulldogs, Albano, and Osbourne. Albano says he made the prediction and for the 16th time, he's got the tag team champions. Osbourne says it's fantastic and the British Bulldogs forever. Smith comes in and says they told America if they became the tag team champions, they stay and they will stay. Ok promos.

Monsoon wraps thing up in Chicago

Once again we get "The Recognize Symbol of Excellence In Sports Entertainment" WWF Logo

Vince and Susan talk about the tag title match and the upcoming WWF Championship match. Susan predicts Hogan will win.

Part III: LA Sports Arena
Ventura, Hayes, and Elvira open up the Los Angeles portion. Future AWA and WCW announcer Lee Marshall is the ring announcer

Ricky Steamboat vs. Hercules Hernandez- Hercules jumps Steamboat to start and works over him for a bit. Steamboat comes back after Hercules whips him to the ropes and he comes off the ropes by sliding between Hercules' legs. Steamboat comes off the ropes and slides between the legs again. Steamboat comes off the ropes, whips Hercules to the ropes and catches him with a chop. Steamboat follows with two armdrags, hooks an armbar, and then a wristlock while attacking the arm. Hercules whips out of it, misses a clothesline, Steamboat comes off the ropes, Hercules leapfrogs, Steamboat comes off the ropes, Hercules tries to catch him but Steamboat backflips out, and hits a superkick. Armdrag and back to the arm. Hercules gets up as Steamboat transitions to an overhead armbar but Hercules gets out with punches. Hercules attempts a whip but Steamboat blocks with a chop. Steamboat gets his own, leapfrogs over Hercules, Hercules comes off, Steamboat leapfrogs again, Hercules comes off, and Steamboat catches him with an elbow.

Suplex and back to the armbar. Hercules rams Steamboat into the turnbuckle and hits a clothesline to take over. Hercules starts kneeing Steamboat. Hercules whips Steamboat to the ropes and catches him with a hotshot before stomping on him. Steamboat mounts a comeback and tries for a bodyslam but Hercules falls on top for 2. Hercules works over Steamboat and rams him in the turnbuckle. Hercules whips Steamboat to the ropes and catches him with an elbow. Hercules then drops a few more, poses, and then pins for 2. Steamboat starts making a comeback but misses a chop and Hercules hits a clothesline. Hercules goes for the pin twice but gets 2 each time. Hercules hits a press slam and then another. Hercules climbs the top turnbuckle and attempts a diving splash but Steamboat gets the knees up. Steamboat climbs the top and finishes with a diving high cross body at 7:27.

Thoughts: *** Good match as Steamboat brought the goods as usual and Hercules was good too. The story was well told with Steamboat trying to use his moves to wear down the bigger Hercules while Hercules uses strikes and brute strength to wear down Steamboat. The ending was good too as Hercules isn't a flyer and he paid for it when he tried. The only real knock is Steamboat's arm work didn't amount to anything and Hercules trying to pick Steamboat up for Steamboat to backflip out was a little clunky.

Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Uncle Elmer- Adonis has his androgynous character at this point and has cranked it to eleven as he has a pink dress, pink legging, eye liner, and a pink ribbon. Elmer mocks Adonis as it gives me a scary thought. Given both guy's gimmicks, I bet Elmer thinks Adonis is a purty thing and wants to make him squeal.

Adonis bails quickly and hugs Hart. Back in the ring, Elmer jumps Adonis and rams him into the turnbuckle. Elmer whips Adonis into the corner with Adonis attempting a flair flip but falls to the canvas. Elmer gets a punch and trips and falls on his ass which is pretty embarrassing. Adonis bails out of the ring and pulls the Wrestlemania 2 banner off. Back in the ring, Elmer punches Adonis into the ring post and out of the ring. The physics involved in this match make no sense. Adonis stalls a bit until Elmer pulls him back on the apron and tears his dress. Oh shit, this is Deliverance. Elmer slingshots Adonis back in the ring. Elmer then bumps Adonis with his gut and Adonis gets tangled into the ropes. Adonis gets loose and mounts a comeback but that doesn't last as Elmer whips him into the corner and hits an avalanche. Elmer attempts a leg drop but misses. Adonis climbs the top turnbuckle and hits a diving splash to win at 3:01. After the match, Adonis puts his pink ribbon on Elmer and cheap shots him.

Thoughts: -* Terrible match with tons of stalling and Elmer's slow offense. Adonis tried to bump around and his bumping wasn't bad at times but other times like going into the post looked silly and unrealistic. Elmer falling on his ass after punching Adonis was embarrassing.

Hayes interviews Hogan. Hayes brings up this possibly being Hogan's toughest title defense, he's not 100%, Bundy may have a psychological edge, and it's a steel cage before asking Hogan how he feels. Hogan says there's a lot of rumors that the Hulkster is busted up but so what because this is for the world heavyweight title. He says they have been living this Hulkamania thing one day at a time and now we got so many believers and so many new generations to follow, it's going to live forever. Hogan says even if he had to crawl with one arm, he'd still climb in the cage. He says he'd still defend this title like a man. Hogan says as far as the ambulance ride, he's been thinking about it night and day as well as the animosity, the aggressiveness, and as he enters the cage, he feels sorry for Bundy. He says he's going to take all those feelings, slap those feelings, take away his pride, and put the pride back into the world title. Hogan says he's climbing that cage, he's going to win that match, and he begs Heenan to get involved. Hayes wishes Hogan good luck. Good promo.

Terry Funk and Hoss Funk (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana- Hoss Funk is Dory Funk Jr. Why they gave him another name, I don't know. Kind of weird seeing Terry Funk toss chairs and act crazy in 1986 WWF, it just seems so out of place. Story here is JYD had problems with The Funks and Santana decided to help out.

JYD and Hoss start with a tie up with Hoss briefly getting JYD in the corner and working him over but JYD pushes out of it. Meanwhile, Terry tries to grab JYD from the apron but falls into the ring and JYD whips Hoss into Terry. Bodyslams to both Funks and they bail. Back in, Terry and Santana tag in. Terry gets Santana to the ropes and hits a few chops. Santana reverses a whip to the ropes, Santana drops down to the canvas, Terry trips over Santana and nearly falls out of the ring. Terry regains his balance but Santana clotheslines Terry out of the ring. Hoss comes in only to take a few dropkicks and he bails. Tag to JYD after Terry returns to the ring. JYD gets some nice jabs and rams Terry on the top turnbuckles several times. JYD rams Terry into the turnbuckles some more and a headbutt gets 2. Terry gets thrown over and out again. Back in, Hoss tags in but JYD catches Hoss in a side headlock and tags Santana who forearms the stomach. Santana gets a headlock but Hoss fights out of it with a knee to the stomach and european uppercuts. Hoss gets a side headlock but Santana whips Hoss to the ropes. Hoss comes off the ropes, Santana leapfrogs, Hoss comes off the ropes, Santana leapfrogs again, both comes off opposite corners and Santana hits a flying forearm. Santana attempts the pin but Terry breaks it up 2. Santana gets some mounted punches on Terry and the Funks bail out yet again.

Santana brings Hoss back in with a side headlock. Hoss whips Santana to the ropes and they criss-cross until Terry knees Santana in the back. Tag to Terry who throws Santana out of the ring where Jimmy Hart stomps on him until JYD chases him off. Now, Terry stomps on Santana's head from the apron and distracts the referee allowing Hart to hit another cheapshot before JYD chases him off again. JYD helps Santana back in the ring where Terry hits a suplex for a 2 count. Santana comes back with his own suplex. They each comes off the ropes and collide into each other but Terry is able to tag Hoss after falling into his corner. Hoss hits a butterfly suplex for 2. Santana attempts a tag but Hoss won't let him and gives him a european uppercut for his troubles. Tag to Terry with the Funks hitting a double team whip to the ropes and catching Santana with a double team clothesline. Terry hits a leg drop for 2. Another misses and Santana attempts a comeback but Terry hits a headbutt. Santana starts crawling around the ring, tricking Terry long enough to tag JYD. Double noggin knocker to both. JYD whips Terry to the ropes and catches him with a clothesline. JYD then knocks Hoss off the apron. Terry starts choking JYD with rope but JYD doesn't sell it and headbutts Terry. Terry comes off the ropes but JYD backdrops him out.

How many times are the Funks going to gets thrown out of the ring? JYD follows out by headbutting Hoss and bodyslamming Terry through a table in one of the first table spots in WWF history. Back in the ring, JYD works over Terry, pulls Hart on the apron, and punches Hart off. JYD small packages Terry but Hoss breaks the pin at 2. Santana comes in and attacks Hoss. Santana hooks the figure four leglock until the ref tries to get him back on the apron. While that's happening JYD goes after Hoss on the apron which allows Hart to toss Terry his megaphone and bop JYD with it to win at 11:42.

Thoughts: *** Good match where everyone played their spots well. The Funks were good at giving and taking offense, Santana is great in the babyface-in-peril spot, and JYD was good as the hot tag. The table spot was interesting for 1986 though it's a shame the camera didn't get it good. I like Santana's scramble to avoid Terry and get the hot tag. The only knock was the constant spot where the wrestlers, especially the Funks, kept getting thrown out of the ring. The finish made sense as it continues things for the next Saturday Night's Main Event.

The ring crew starts putting the cage up for the main event

Clips leading up to Hogan/Bundy as well as Hogan working out

Ventura interviews King Kong Bundy and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Ventura says to Heenan that this has to be the biggest night of his life. Heenan says it is and he's the proudest man walking the face of the Earth cause in a short time, he's going to be packing the gold in Bundy's luggage and says Bundy will be the next heavyweight champion of the world. Ventura tells Bundy he's worried because it's a steel cage match and he's worried about Bundy's beautiful face. Bundy tells him to worry no more because his worries are unfounded. He says it's been historical proven that every time Bundy and Hogan are in the ring that Hogan is left laying helpless like a fish out of water. He says it's Hulk Hogan who has to be carted to the hospital and tonight won't be different. He says to fire up the ambulances because Hogan is going to the hospital again. Heenan says the doctors in Phoenix put Hulk Hogan back together again but maybe not at 100% but the doctors in LA will have their hands full because he's going to be put in different pieces. He says there's going to be a new heavyweight champion of the world and his name is King Kong Bundy. He says forget Hulkamania as it's Bundymania from now own. Ventura says Bundy is ready and Hogan is in for the fight of his life. Good promo from both and Heenan is awesome with “Bundymania”.

Elvira sends it back to New York with comments from Vince and Susan with Susan not impressed with Bundymania.

We get the celebrity announcements. Tommy Lasorda is the ring announcer, Ricky Schroder is the timekeeper, & Robert Conrad as guest referee. Lasorda was the then manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and is best known his decades long association with the organization. Schroder is an actor who was starring on the television series Silver Spoons at the time and would later do the Lonesome Dove miniseries and NYPD Blue. Ironically, the Lonesome Dove miniseries led to a syndicated show which Bret Hart had a recurring role in. Conrad is also an actor who starred on the 1960s tv show The Wild Wild West and also ironically, starred as G. Gordon Liddy in the movie adaptation of Liddy's autobiography.

WWF Championship/Steel Cage: Hulk Hogan (c) vs. King Kong Bundy (w/Bobby "The Brain" Heenan)- Storyline here is that Bundy (with help from Muraco) attacked and injured Hogan's ribs on Saturday Night's Main Event V a month earlier and now Hogan wants revenge all the while he's putting his career in danger by further injuring the ribs. Wrestling Storyline 101. If I'm not mistaken, I believe this match was the debut of the famous “Blue Bar” Steel Cage that WWF used throughout the late 1980s and most of the 1990s. I like Hogan's entrance where he climbs the cage to rip his shirt off and enter before throwing the championship in the middle of the ring as if he's drawing a line in the sand.

Brawling to start which Hogan wins and he starts working over Bundy. Hogan whips Bundy to the ropes and catches him with the big boot. Bundy tries to escape through the door but Hogan stops him and starts choking Bundy with his singlet. Hogan tries to ram Bundy into the cage but Bundy blocks it. Hogan works Bundy over, whips Bundy into a corner, and follows with a charging clothesline. Hogan whips Bundy to the ropes and comes off the other side with an elbow. Hogan and Bundy attempt to ram the other into the cage but Bundy then starts to work over Hogan's back and ribs. Bundy hits a bodyslam and smothers his boot on Hogan's head. Bundy attempts to escape but Hogan stops him. Bundy rams Hogan backfirst into the cage. Bundy tries to escape again but Hogan stops him. Bundy starts ripping of the tape off Hogan's ribs and starts choking Hogan with it. Bundy tries to tie Hogan up and tries to leave again but Hogan stops him again. Hogan whips Bundy into the corner and follows with an elbow. Bundy gets whipped into the cage and starts bleeding. Hogan back rakes Bundy several times and throws him back into the cage three more times.

Hogan climbs the cage and steps on Bundy, choking him on the ropes. Hogan tries for the bodyslam but can't slam him and Bundy falls on top. Bundy makes another attempt to leave but Hogan grabs his medical tape and chokes Bundy with it. Bundy comes back with an eye rake, whips Hogan to the corner, and follows with an avalanche followed by a splash. Bundy tries to leave again but Hogan stops him again. Bundy forearms the back, whips Hogan to the corner and hits another avalanche but Hogan starts hulking up and no sells it. Hogan whips Bundy into the corner and powerslams him coming out. Hogan comes off the ropes with the leg drop. Hogan tries to climb out but Heenan tries to block him while Bundy tries to stop him but Hogan kicks him off and climbs out. Bundy tries to crawl to the door but Hogan escapes first to retain at 10:15. Afterwards, Hogan chases Heenan into the cage and beats him up for a bit by throwing him into the cage and then hitting an atomic drop which propels Heenan shoulder first into the ring post and out the door. Hogan then celebrates to end the show.

Thoughts: ***1/2 Good and fun match. I liked some of the little things done here like the fact they started with a brawl instead of feeling out and Hogan immediately attempting chokes and throwing Bundy into the cage shows they didn't care for each other and Hogan wanted revenge. The story was good with Bundy targeting the ribs and back at various points while Hogan would bust Bundy open. I like both using the cage including Bundy ramming Hogan's injured back on the cage. Bundy bleeding was good as it came off like Hogan wasn't screwing around and was determined to hurt Bundy as much as Bundy hurt him. The match had some of Hogan's “Hogan vs. Big Man” formula but I liked Hogan changed things up a bit doing a powerslam instead of a bodyslam. The only thing that really hurts this match is the escape rule. I know this was 1986 but this match really could've benefited with a pinfall finish. Having Bundy severely injure Hogan leading up to this event and he and Heenan talking about sending Hogan back to the hospital or Hogan wanting to settle the score and take everything out on Bundy only for both to try to leave the cage is weird and kind of a flat finish.

We finish with the "Recognize symbol of excellence in sports entertainment" WWF Logo

Final Thoughts
Wrestlemania 2 is an interesting one to rate. I've seen many not care for it but I enjoyed more than others. Other than the Adonis/Elmer match, the event starts lackluster but largely picks up half way. I do agree and disagree with what fans and critics have said. I do agree that the New York portion is lousy as Orndorff/Muraco and Roberts/Wells are weak to alright while Savage/Steele is awful though I didn't hate the boxing fight like others. The Chicago portion is a mixed bag as the first two matches feel unnecessary as they're too short but the battle royal is good and the tag team championship match is great. The Los Angeles portion is the strongest as 75% of the matches are good to very good. While Savage/Steele is probably my pick for Worst Match of the Year and Adonis/Elmer is awful, most of the matches are harmless but just short and there's still a lot of good and fun matches with the WWF Championship match being a better main event than the main event at Wrestlemania I while the Tag Team Championship can be described as the first great Wrestlemania match as one person I read put it. Meanwhile, the three venue and time zone differences was a cool touch that made this Wrestlemania unique and I give WWF/WWE credit whenever they try to make a Wrestlemania feel different than ones that came before.

As for disagreeing, I originally agreed with the fans and critics about this show stretching the talent but I feel it stretched the announcers more than the talent as Wrestlemanias during this time were known for having twelve to sixteen matches. As a result, we sadly don't get Monsoon/Ventura team here despite them being the voices of the first six Wrestlemanias.

Outside of the two matches I've mentioned, the only negatives for the show are some of the matches being too short on time as well as the celebrity commentators. If there's anything that makes me cringe, feel uncomfortable, or make my skin crawl regarding wrestling, it's when companies bring in celebrities to do commentary, especially celebrities who clearly don't follow wrestling and don't know what they're talking about. I know some find it funny like Art Donovan at King of the Ring 1994 but I don't. If it was one match, it wouldn't be the end of the world but why WWF felt the need to have celebrity announcers for all the matches, I have no idea especially since Susan, Cathy, and Elvira didn't seem to have much of a clue of what was going on. I honestly couldn't watch this whole show with sound and had to mute it after awhile.

Still, despite the cringe announcing and two dreadful matches, Wrestlemania 2 is still worth seeing as the second half of the show is mostly good to great, the three venues is unique, and there's a lot of history including the first steel cage match (and the last for 35 years), the first battle royal, and the first WWF Championship match. Meanwhile, legends like Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, and Dory Funk Jr. competed in their only Wrestlemania matches while other legends like “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Bret “The Hitman” Hart, who all were important staples in the early Wrestlemanias, made their Wrestlemania debuts.

Recommended

Wrestlemania 2 Facts:
Wrestlemania 2 is the only Wrestlemania to be held in multiple venues.

Wrestlemania 2 is the first Wrestlemania to feature a Steel Cage match. It would be the last until Wrestlemania 37 in 2021.

First Wrestlemania to feature a boxing match.

First Wrestlemania to feature a battle royal.

First Wrestlemania to feature a WWF Championship match.

The multiple venue idea actually came from the NWA/WCW as they held Starrcade 1985 in two venues.

First Wrestlemania to feature a flag match.

Battle Royal referee Dick Butkis would return to the WWF when he worked for Vince McMahon's XFL in 2001.

Football player Bill Fralic would return to the WWF when he took part in the Yokozuna Stars and Stripes Challenge (Yokozuna Bodyslam Challenge) in 1993.

Mr. T became the first celebrity to return to a Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania 2 is one of the latest Wrestlemania's held (April 7th)

Last Wrestlemania to feature a Women's Championship match until Wrestlemania X.

Wrestlemania 2 was the second major appearance of "Smokin" Joe Frazier at a wrestling event. His first was NWA Starrcade 1984

First Wrestlemania to be held at the Rosemont Horizon (now known as the Allstate Arena). The arena would also host Wrestlemania 13 in 1997 and Wrestlemania 22 in 2006.

First Wrestlemania to be held at the LA Sports Arena. The arena would also host Wrestlemania VII in 1991.

First Wrestlemania to not have a roman numeral. Ironically the next one would be Wrestlemania 13 which was also held at the Rosemont Horizon.

Wrestlemania 2 was held on a Monday.

First of two straight Wrestlemanias in which Randy Savage defended the Intercontinental Championship.

First of two straight Wrestlemanias to feature Hulk Hogan defending the WWF Championship and against a Heenan Family member.

First of two Wrestlemanias Brutus Beefcake lost at. Ironically, the other one (Wrestlemania IX) would also see him compete for the WWF Tag Team Championship.

The US Express were supposed to challenge and defeat the Dream Team for the WWF Tag Team Championship but Barry Windham left the WWF in the fall of 1985 while Mike Rotundo took a leave. They were replaced by the British Bulldogs.

Hulk Hogan became the first to successfully defend the WWF Championship at a Wrestlemania.

First of two Wrestlemania's with Bret Hart being the runner up in a battle royal with the other being Wrestlemania IV.

Debut of the Blue Bar Steel Cage.