Nice trip down memory lane.
Was 10 years old when this event took place. Still remember everyone in the neighborhood talking about it the next day, despite the fact that none of us watched the closed circuit venue (all that was available then). Couldn't wait for this tape to show up in the mail. Roddy Pipers' bag pipe entrance really reminded me how exciting this form of entertainment was as a kid. I try to get into WWF (now WWE) today, but it's just not the same.

If you grew up in the '80s, this is a must have. I got the VHS just to get it on the cheap. If it's available on DVD and you've got the few bucks to spend, I'd recommend that.

DVD IS BETTER
i have the dvd.the matches r ok but they r super short.the longest match was the womens title match(weird)only buy if u r a wwe/wwf collecter like me:)

The Matches Don't Match the Hype
I remember the huge build-up that Wrestlemania got back in '85, and it's clear that in its infancy, Vince McMahon and the WWF weren't really sure what they were going to get.

This video takes you through the event, and it came across like one of the TV shows, where the star goes into the ring and squashes a jobber in a matter of minutes. Yes, there were some main-event caliber matches in the middle of the card, but a lot of these were really disappointing.

This was also the beginning of the end of the "realism" of pro wrestling, and it was when I started to get turned off by a lot of it, i.e., the hype, the subplots, the BS story lines.

The good matches? Rick Steamboat and Matt Borne was entertaining, but you pretty much knew who was gonna win. The Steamer put on his usual moves, and the veteran Borne did a good sell job.

Bruno Sammartino, Jr. against Brutus Beefcake was probably the best of all the matches. The younger Sammartino never did achieve anywhere near the success of his famous father, but then how could anyone match that? He gives it a good go against Beefcake, and there's the usual running around the ring of the elder Sammartino and Johnny Valiant.

Barry Windham and Mike Rotondo vs. Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik was a good old Cold War style battle, and this was pretty decent old school wrestling. The bad guys won, but then again you can't have the goodies win 'em all or it'd be boring.

Now the clunkers: King Kong Bundy squashes SD Jones (the fall guy all the time) in 9 seconds...a stupid joke if there ever was one. Boring, nothing funny about it.

Wendi Richter w/Cyndi Lauper vs. Lelani Kai w/Fabulous Moohlah for the Women's title: two women yanking each other around by the hair, and two prima donnas running around the ring outside. Boring.

The main event was the biggest clunker of them all--now, Mr. T might have been physically strong, but he is dwarfed in the ring by Hogan, Piper and Orndorff, and it's obvious he is kept out of harm's way throughout the match. Too much posing, stomping around and goofing off. And the match ends in a way everyone had to see coming: Bob Orton, Jr.'s attempt to conk Hogan with his cast backfires and the bad guys lose.

OK, entertaining for those who didn't want to see through all the idiocy, but I guess I just wasn't one of 'em. Wrestlemania did get better, and McMahon should be applauded for trying different things to make wrestling have the mass appeal it does today. But, well, this one just didn't do it for me on the whole.

WWE WresleMania 1
To tell you guys the truth, this is definitly not th best WrestleMania they make it look like. Sure it has memerable moments, but it is not that great. Here are the matches.

1. Tito Santana vs. The Executioner 7/10
Decent opener, but I have seen better in this sytle of wrestling. And yes this is the first match in WrestleMania history.

2. King Kong Bundy vs. S.D. Jones 10/10
Excellent match. I know it was REALLY short but I thought it was funny to see S.D. Jones get put away so quick. Watch it if you want to have a quick laugh.

3. Matt Borne vs. Ricky Steamboat 7/10
I actually liked this match, there were a lot of things going on but I did not feel satisfied. Good attempt though.

4. Brutus Beefcake vs. David Sammartino 5/10
Worst match of the night. I mean it was just a plain boring match man. The good thing was to see Bruno Sammartino there though. Bad ending as well.

5. Greg The Hammer Valentine vs. Junkyard Dog 6/10
Slow match. Junkyard Dog was actually winning but I am gald he did not win the title though, he won by Count-Out. It would have been better to see Junkyard Dog get caught in a submission hold, and have The Hammer win.

6. Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Shiek vs. Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham 8/10
I liked this match. Finally there was a change here where there is an upset and the bad guys win. But I still do not believe that Rotundo and Windham did not win the match though.

7. Big John Studd vs. Andre The Giant (Body Slam Challange) 6/10
I like John Studd and Andre but this match was terrible because it was SO boring. Would have been a 5/10 if it weren't for the memorable Body slam at theend where Andre wins. Big upset that the match was bad.

8. Leilani Kai vs. Wendi Richter 8/10
Why can't all women's matches be more like this one. I liked it because it is very diferent from what we see now. Has a good ending too.

9. Rowdy Roddy Piper and Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff vs. Hulk Hogan and Mr.T 9/10
Good and exciting match. The crowd was also really into it as well. The ending is funny when Cowboy Bob Orton hits Orndorff with is cast by accident and that allows Hogan and Mr.T to get the victory.

Wrestlemania
1.TITO SANTANA VS THE EXECUTIONER....TITO WINS WITH THE FIGURE FOUR..NOTHING SPECIAl

2.S.D. JONES VS KING KONG BUNDY..BUNDY JUST CRUSHED JONES AND PINNED HIM IN LIKE 20 SECONDS..BUT FOR SOME REASON IT WAS ANOUNCED AS 9

3.RICKY STEAMBOAT VS MATT BORNE..STEAMBOAT CARRIED THIS MATCH

4.DAVID SAMMARTINO VS BRUTUS BEEFCAKE..I WAS REALLY INTO THIS MATCH I ONLY WISH THERE WAS A WINNER

5.JUNKYARD DOG VS GREG "THE HAMMER" VALENTINE-IC TITLE..DEFINITLY NOT THE BEST MATCH IN EITHER OF THEIR CARRERS UT AT LEAST VALENTINE KEPT THE TITLE

6.MIKE ROTUNDO & BARRY WINDHAM VS IRON SHEIK & NIKOLAI VOLKOLFF-TAG TITLES..WAY TO SHORT THIS MATCH COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

7.ANDRE THE GIANT VS BIG JOHN STUDD..IF ANDRE WON HE WOULD GET 15,000 DOLLARS..IF STUDD WON HE WOULD GET TO SHAVE ANDRE'S HEAD AND HE WOULD HAVE TO RETIRE..LIKE THERE WAS ANY DOUBT WHO WAS GONNA WIN THIS

8.WENDI RICHTER VS LEILANI KAI(WOMENS TITLE)..I REALLY WASNT INTO THIS MATCH BUT BACK IN THE DAY THIS WAS CONSIDERED A BIG DEAL..MAINLY CAUSE OF CINDY LAUPER BEING IN RICHTER'S CORNER

9.HULK HOGAN & MR T VS RODDY PIPER & PAUL ORNDORFF...THE BEST MATCH OF THE NIGHT & NATURALLY THE GOOD GUYS CAME OUT ON TOP THE CROWD WAS REALLY BEHIND HOGAN & T

OVERALL THIS EVENT WAS DECENT BUT THE MATCHES EXCEPT THE MAIN EVENT WERE TOO SHORT