Chapter 2.  Wrestlemania, 1985: An Optimistic Beginning

The first "Wrestlemania" was a comparatively modest undertaking compared to future extravaganzas, taking place in New York City in front of over 25,000 spectators, according to announcers. Hyperbolic opening remarks by Vince McMahon lauded the gravity of the event: it was "the greatest production of wrestling ever in the world ...seen by over one million fans [through pay-per-view cable]" (WWF 1985). Perennial "Wrestlemania" announcer Jessie "the Body" Ventura, in a theme to be repeated in future "Wrestlemania's," placed the WWF in a higher tier than "legitimate" sports, exclaiming, "You see dead Superbowls, you see dead World Series', but you're definitely not seeing a dead 'Wrestlemania.'" A sense of history and excitement was also emphasized. Announcer "Gorilla" Monsoon described the electricity of "Wrestlemania": "you can grab a hold of it, touch it, cut it." When an obese white Heel defeats a much smaller black Face in nine seconds, "history is made here at 'Wrestlemania."'

The evening patriotically opens with one of the WWF announcers passably singing the American National Anthem. Several shots of an American flag suspended in the arena serve to illustrate the political grounding of professional wrestling, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The first "Wrestlemania" displayed more complex imagery of race and gender before the institutionalization of WWF wrestling stereotypes in later extravaganzas. In general, as most organizations become more institutionalized, their norms tend to conform to the parameters of the larger society. In this process, women and minorities, who are often given prominence initially, are sometimes cast aside (Combs-Schilling 1989, p. 92).

In one of the central matches, a black Face, the Junkyard Dog, challenges the WWF's Inter-Continental Champion (a championship not quite as prestigious as the World Heavyweight Championship), a blond Heel. Through his name the Junkyard Dog is signaled as being animalistic and close to nature, and the match perpetuates wrestling myth of the black athlete's hard head (the Junkyard Dog pummels his opponent with his forehead with devastating effects). Further, the Junkyard Dog's ethnic identity is defined by the comments of the announcers, such as observing "a lot of shuckin' and jivin' with the JYD.” This is, however, a high point for African-American wrestlers in the WWF. (Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer qualified the Junkyard Dog’s seemingly progressive status in a Sports Illustrated article: “He was almost like a philosopher to black fans in the South.  Now he goes to New York, and he barks his interviews [Newman 1985].”) African-American wrestlers in the WWF rarely received title attempts after the mid-1980s. The Dog wins the match, but not the belt because of a technicality. Consciously or unconsciously, this scene reflects dominant forms of racism in America. A deserving African-American is unfairly disenfranchised, a scene that could strike a sympathetic chord in some viewers.

An even more impressive illustration of blackempowerment within the early days of WWF popularity is the main event of "Wrestlemania." Mr. T, the mohawked African-American star of "The A-Team," teams with Hulk Hogan against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Cowboy Bob Orton. No one could ask for a higher status at the time than to be Hogan's partner. On the other hand, Mr. T is an inherently campy figure and is again framed by announcers' remarks. After performing an "illegal" eye-gouge, Monsoon comments, "There's that street fighting coming into play." Ultimately, though, this match is a racial zenith in recent WWF history, with T and Hogan defeating the forces of evil.

The main event of "Wrestlemania" truly showcases the show business-like transformation taking place in the WWF. Helping out in a match featuring a television star, Mr. T, are boxer Muhammad Ali playing guest referee, baseball manager Billy Martin as guest ring announcer, and the extravagant entertainer Liberace assuming timekeeping duties. The WWF creatively borrows popular cultural icons to instill this new "sport" with mainstream legitimacy. The presentation of the main event is not as formulaic as in future "Wrestlemania's." For instance, Hulk Hogan's traditional post-match muscle flexing and posing, which soon becomes a ritual, is only shown briefly on the videotape.

Women play a startling substantial role in "Wrestlemania." The match preceding the main event is a Women's Title match, in which Cyndi Lauper manages the Face victor, Wendi Richter. Lauper's pre-match comments stress female empowerment: "These are powerful words and this is a powerful woman and I'm a powerful manager." The female Heel, Lelani Kai, is managed by a woman also. There is limited opportunity for female/male dialogue in this inherently chauvinist sport. However, Lauper's wrestler shoves the male referee at one point, commanding, "Get outa my way, boy!" Again, in light of future developments concerning the role of women in the WWF, this is the zenith of their feminine imaging, the female as heroic warrior. As shall be seen in future "Wrestlemania's," to have anything but passive females would make wrestling's good/evil dichotomies too murky.

One other episode of the first "Wrestlemania" worthy of mention is the prototypical American Face/foreigner Heel match. In this particular manifestation, personifications of Cold War suspicion and Iranian hostage outrage appear in the guise of Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik. They team up against two "all-American" Faces, one with an American flag kerchief tied around his neck. The Sheik and Volkoff proudly wave the flags of their homelands, Volkoff sings the Russian National Anthem, and the Sheik cries, "Russia number one, Iran number one, U.S.A.!??" accompanying the last word by spitting on the hallowed wrestling mat. This is met with jeers and thrown objects, which turn into cheers when the Faces enter. Although the patriotic crowd chants "U!S!A!! U!S!A!!" the foreigners win when their manager interferes.

Continue to Chapter 3