In this WrestleMania II review, Vince McMahon tries something new with a three-city extravaganza, Hulk Hogan defends the WWF title against King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage Match, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: WWF WrestleMania II
- Date: April 7, 1986
- Location: Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, and Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA
IN THE RING: Vince McMahon welcomes Susan Saint James, then Ray Charles does America The Beautiful as only Ray Charles can.
BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund throws it to New York, where Roddy Piper is gearing up for his fight with Mr. T.
Don Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. Paul Orndorff
We hear audio interviews from each man after the match starts, which is a weird touch. For those keeping score at home (and there will be a lot of score to keep), Vince and Saint James are the commentary team for this one. Saint James is….not exactly tapped into the WWF scene in 1986. At one point, she says Orndorff is using “ancient Chinese techniques.” Sounds like Orndorff!
A competitive sprint here, but it all leads to a double countout, or at least we assume it’s a double countout since it’s never actually announced and Vince is PISSED at all the confusion. Not exactly the type of start you’d want in order to get people invested in WrestleMania, and the crowd hated the finish. (*)
BACKSTAGE: Mr. T sends a message to Piper. He has Joe Frazier and Haiti Kid with him, so that’s quite a trio. During the promo, we hear Fink in the background announcing the official result from the previous match. What a mess.
George ‘The Animal’ Steele vs. (c) Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) – Intercontinental Title
So, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this match, but what I always remember about it is the Memphis-esque stalling from Savage until Steele starts biting his leg. That gets a big pop from Saint James. The crowd is into Savage’s antics, and they love Steele’s biting. So they have that going for them. Somehow flowers get brought into the equation as Saint James discusses Steele’s respect for women. If only he respected the turnbuckle pads, which he starts eating before feeding some to Savage.
However, Steele gets distracted by Elizabeth, and Savage hits the elbow drop, but Steele kicks out at one. Steele tries to take advantage, but it’s the ultimate heel Savage who uses the ropes for leverage to pin Steele to retain the title. Saint James seems like a nice woman. Her commentary isn’t nice though. (*1/2)
ON THE RAMP: Gene is in one of the cities with Big John Studd and a football player. They are hyped up for the battle royal and start bickering at each other.
RINGSIDE: Vince and Saint James talk about snakes, and Vince is doing his best with this.
George Wells vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts
I think we all know what the payoff is for this match. Something that really stands out is just how great Jake’s mannerisms were inside the ring. He works the crowd like a true heel, as Wells controls the majority of the action. But it’s Jake who turns the tide and hits the DDT for the victory. Here comes the snake! Jake wraps it around Wells, and now Wells is foaming at the mouth. Saint James has had enough. (*)
VIDEO: Recap of the events leading to Piper vs. Mr. T.
BACKSTAGE: Off to Los Angeles, where Jesse Ventura is with Hulk Hogan. These two play well off of each other as Jesse tries to push Hogan’s buttons.
IN THE RING: I think we’re back in New York, but I have no idea. Fink introduces Joan Rivers, and she introduces the special judges which include Darryl Dawkins, Cab Calloway, G. Gordon Liddy, and Herb.
Roddy Piper vs. Mr. T – Boxing Match
Another attraction match, which has been a Vince staple throughout WrestleMania history. As you would expect, Piper doesn’t play by the rules and gets in a few cheap shots during the rope break. Saint James is not impressed. They try to do a brawl at the end of round one, but the crowd isn’t invested at all in this. It’s just hard to do a worked boxing match that anyone will care about, and these folks do not care.
Piper eventually knocks down Mr. T in round two, and the crowd starts chanting “Roddy.” Doesn’t seem ideal since he’s the heel. Piper controls things for two rounds, only for Mr. T to take control in round three. Piper throws a chair at Mr. T to start round four, and they exchange haymakers. Piper shoves the referee and bodyslams Mr. T, so it’s a DQ in favor of Mr. T. Love both guys, but as a boxing match, this has to be one of the worst “matches” in WrestleMania history. (DUD)
RINGSIDE: Vince sends it to Chicago, where Mean Gene and Gorilla Monsoon are leading the action.
Velvet McIntyre vs. (c) The Fabulous Moolah – WWF Women’s Title
Cathy Lee Crosby is on commentary with Gorilla and Gene, and boy is it a far cry from Gorilla and Jesse. They do a few moves, and just like that, Moolah simply lays on McIntyre and covers her for the quick win. This show is an absolute mess. (NR)
Nikolai Volkoff (w/Freddie Blassie) vs. Corporal Kirchner
Spoiler alert: The fans still hate Volkoff singing. You would think Kirchner is Hogan given the pop, so the USA pride is still alive and well in Chicago. Kirchner is bleeding, and for some reason, he accidentally takes out the ref. Blassie throws the cane in and Kirchner intercepts it, allowing him to hit Volkoff for the pin and the win. Another short match, but at least the crowd popped huge for the American triumph. (NR)
Jimbo Covert vs. Pedro Morales 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 Brunzell vs. Big John Studd vs. Bill Fralic vs. Bret Hart vs. Jim Neidhart vs. Russ Francis vs. Bruno Sammartino vs. William “Refrigerator” Perry vs. Andre the Giant – 20-Man Battle Royal
I think we can safely say this is more meat in this match than any match in wrestling history. MEAT EVERYWHERE. The most jacked of all is Arcidi though. He’s on another level. Watching Gene get bounced around like he’s on a trampoline during the entrances is hilarious. Ernie Ladd is on commentary, and this is a good time to remind you how much I love Ladd (read my Mid-South Wrestling reviews for proof of that).
This is quite an assortment of wrestling talent, especially when you consider Andre, Bruno, Sheik, Studd, Bret, Neidhart, and others are involved. Ladd is just fantastic, as his enthusiasm is incredible for Perry throwing out Atlas and then going after Studd. It takes three men to throw out Arcidi, who’s off to do some lat raises. Bruno and Bret going at it is a sight to behold. Bruno throws out Sheiky baby, then Bruno gets tossed by Studd.
Perry is clearly the crowd favorite as a Chicago Bears star, and they lose it when he gets thrown out by Studd. Fridge was a highlight of the match though. He gets some payback by pulling Studd over the top to eliminate him, so we’re down to the final four of Andre, Bret, Neidhart, and Francis. Poor Francis. He’s tossed, and Bret and Neidhart work on Andre. But like all WWF battle royals in this era, the 2-on-1 never works, and Andre boots them both to win it.
Honestly, I enjoyed this for what it was. The fans were into it, and fun was had by all. (**)
RINGSIDE: Back to New York, where Piper is with Vince and Saint James. He rants about his match.
RINGSIDE: And we’re back to Chicago, and Covert tells Gene he got cheated. Sheik also comes out for a quick taunting session.
The British Bulldogs (w/Lou Albano and Ozzy Osbourne) vs. (c) Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake (w/Johnny Valiant) – WWF Tag Team Titles
The Bulldogs have Ozzy in their corner, so I like their chances. On paper, this is the best match of the WrestleMania II lineup thus far. Good teamwork early on from the Bulldogs, which Gene points out right after I typed it. Gene was the best. Both teams are at the top of their game here, and they get the crowd biting on a few near falls. And then Valentine drops Dynamite with a face-first piledriver.
Chaos breaks loose, but Valentine escapes to avoid the double team move from the Bulldogs. Davey Boy hits the running powerslam (which would later become his finisher), and Valentine kicks out at two. The heels take control, and Valentine makes the mistake of stopping the count at two after he has Davey Boy beaten. And the Bulldogs quickly take advantage as Davey Boy forces the headbutt from Valentine to Dynamite and then proceeds to roll up Valentine to win the titles. A very good tag team match on a show that desperately needed it. (***1/2, Recommended)
IN THE RING: Gene with the Bulldogs, and Davey Boy reveals they’re staying in America since they won the titles. Another win for America!
RINGSIDE: Vince and Saint James throw it to Los Angeles, and what a host trio of Jesse Ventura, Lord Alfred Hayes, and Elvira. Only at WrestleMania.
Hercules Hernandez vs. Ricky Steamboat
I was a big Hercules fan despite him never really being more than a midcarder. Elvira calls Steamboat a wimp, so Steamboat proceeds to pull out some awesome reversals to gain the advantage. Hercules uses his power to take over, then works on Steamboat for a bit. A pretty nice showing from Hercules in this one.
But we all knew who the featured star is in this match, and they really play up Steamboat continually getting knocked down and finding a way to keep going. Hercules makes the mistake of coming off the top, and Steamboat uses the knees to counter. Then it’s a flying cross body from Steamboat for the victory. This was fine as both men brought it. (**)
Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Uncle Elmer
Probably not the most appealing match, but I enjoyed Adonis’ work. Adonis sells everything like a pro, and you’ve gotta appreciate him bumping around all over the place for Elmer. It’s all Elmer for most of the match until Adonis reverses the momentum and comes off the top for the win. (*)
BACKSTAGE: Alfred with Hulk Hogan. He addresses rumors he’s hurt and reminds everyone that Hulkamania is running wild.
The Funk Brothers (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Tito Santana and The Junkyard Dog
A nice combo here, and JYD was wildly over at this point. Terry Funk does more selling than a Fortune 500 company in the early going. He’s a national treasure. We get a criss cross because every match in this era seemingly needed a criss cross, and the Funks are in control. Elvira brings up one of the wrestlers potentially losing their trunks, so she’s enjoying herself.
They work to the hot tag to JYD, and again, the man was OVER with this LA crowd. Terry tries to choke him with a rope, but JYD gives him an insane backdrop over the top. Terry Funk was so, so good at making everything look awesome. JYD takes a shot at Hart for good measure, and the action breaks down. The referee gets occupied with Tito, and that allows Terry the opportunity to clock JYD with the megaphone to steal the victory. Another enjoyable tag match. (***, Recommended)
VIDEO: We recap the events leading to the Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy main event. Gene talks to a doctor, who suggests Hogan not wrestle due to his back injury. Hogan says he’s not calling in and sells the back issue while doing deadlifts. Then the Hulkster calls for the HEAVY CHINS. That’s a chin-up with 100 pounds attached to his neck. This is an 80s WWF vignette if I’ve ever seen one. Incredible.
BACKSTAGE: Jesse with Bundy and Bobby Heenan. They hype up the beginning of Bundymania.
RINGSIDE: We’re back to New York, where Vince and Saint James discuss the match. For once, Saint James and I agree on something, as she doesn’t like the sound of Bundymania.
King Kong Bundy (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. (c) Hulk Hogan – Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title
Tommy Lasorda is the guest ring announcer, and he introduces Ricky Schroder and Robert Conrad. Lasorda was awesome. What was also awesome is the big blue cage. Easily the best cage in WWF history. Elvira says she hasn’t seen this much exposed flesh since she was in Las Vegas, so that’s another trivia note for you.
Hogan comes out with some added aggression to play up being pissed off at the attack from Bundy and company. But Bundy uses his brute strength to take over, and that’s when he starts going at the back and ribs. Bundy chokes out Hogan with the wrap around his back, then Hogan thwarts Bundy’s escape attempt. And now Bundy is busted open after Hogan throws him face-first into the cage.
Elvira is begging for the match to be stopped, so they’ve at least sold her on the brutality of the cage stipulation. Hogan goes for the bodyslam on Bundy, but the ribs give way and Bundy squashes him. And in typical babyface fashion, Hogan prevents the escape by choking Bundy with the athletic wrap.
From there, Bundy regroups and splashes Hogan before trying the escape again. Hogan saves, Bundy does the avalanche, and it’s hulk up time as the bodyslam and legdrop gets the job done to allow Hogan to climb out of the cage. After the match, Hogan destroys Heenan to get some payback. I know some people hate this match, but they kept it simple and it felt like a WrestleMania main event given Hogan’s stardom and Bundy’s monster heel tendencies. By no means a classic but it was short and sweet. (**1/2)
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WRESTLEMANIA II
Recommended Matches: The British Bulldogs vs. Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake (***1/2), The Funk Brothers vs. Tito Santana and The Junkyard Dog (***)
Overall Rating: 4.0/10
Thoughts: This show was an absolute chore up until the Chicago main event for the tag titles. New York fans got a terrible draw, while the LA portion was the best of the bunch due to the Funks vs. Tito/JYD and the main event. The guest commentary was understandable from a marketing standpoint, and Elvira was easily the most entertaining of the trio. That’s not to say it was good, though. This is undoubtedly one of the worst WrestleManias ever, but there’s fine nostalgia here for those interested in that. Just don’t expect a quality wrestling card that matches what WrestleMania would eventually become.
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