The first Wrestlemania was held at Madison Square Garden on March 31, 1985. In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T fought Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
Wrestlemania was an exercise in showmanship. Muhammad Ali was a guest referee. Jesse "The Body" Ventura was a color commentator. At one point, Cyndi Lauper hit a professional wrestler with a purse (planned after Lauper met Lou Albano on a plane to Puerto Rico).
The event was shown on closed-circuit television at arenas around the country, including the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, PA where fans threw garbage at the screen when technical glitches ended the screening (the WWF later rebroadcast it on a local affiliate there for free to make up for it).
The good old days...
