50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE WrestleMania
Binging 40 stunning years of WrestleMania reveals a LOT about WWE history.
There's a magic to WrestleMania that's difficult to quantify.
It's the "Show Of Shows', "The Grandaddy Of Them All", "The Showcase Of The Immortals" and it's undoubtedly pro wrestling's showpiece card/weekend. People plan holidays around 'Mania. Hell, some plan their lives around the sprint from Royal Rumble to those epic stadium dates in March or April every year. That's how important WWE's top attraction is - it also draws lapsed fans back in even if they don't watch programming all year round.
WrestleMania binging would've been one of the first things many fans did when signing up for the soon-to-vanish (at time of writing) WWE Network upon launch. There's a seemingly endless amount of history waiting in earlier events. It throws up cherished memories, childhood nostalgia and the kind of warm, fuzzy feeling normally reserved for Christmas mornings as a kid.
That's powerful, but the magic doesn't die in adulthood. No, for many, 'Mania becomes an annual pilgrimage and celebration of fandom. That's true when sitting down to binge watch as many as 2-3 cards every other night. You can learn a lot from rushing through hundreds of hours of pageantry, hype and pyro in quick succession. Honestly, it comes highly recommended. You'll see things with fresh eyes, and maybe spot things you missed first time around.
Not every observation here is favourable or even particularly positive, but there's a lot of love and affection in these pages for wrestling's tentpole event. Watching WWE develop from 1985's potentially perilous first steps to 2024's economy-boosting stadium monster is a fascinating experience.
Here's everything learned from all 40 'Mania specials.
50. The First One Sucked
When pressed to recommend one starting point for newbie fans, The Rock says he'd point to that original WrestleMania from 1985 as a must-watch. Honestly, that's a terrible recommendation, because there's next to no chance a younger generation would enjoy Vince McMahon's first big financial risk when going in cold. It's literally one of the worst 'Mania shows to watch back. Sorry, but it's true.
WrestleMania's debut hasn't aged well in the slightest. It's a gruelling watch today - there's no getting away from that. So many of the matches are plain dull, and the links between them with Lord Alfred Hayes are akin to pulling teeth. None of the slickness associated with WWE's product is on display, and even the pageantry and vibrant 'wrestling meets mainstream entertainment' vibe is absent outside Mr. T's appearance.
Sure, 'Mania I is a fascinating case study on just how far the company's presentation would go within a few short years, but it'd be a lie to suggest the actual show was fun to watch. Historically significant? Yes. Financially successful? Absolutely. Satisfying from beginning to end? Absolutely not. Bouts like Tito Santana vs. The Executioner and Brutus Beefcake vs. David Sammartino don't exactly scream essential.
Clearly, Rocky has some nostalgia for the original and that's fine. It's a surprise he didn't point to WrestleMania X-Seven or even one of the more modern examples. This would be like asking the dude which movie young teenagers should watch and him answering, 'Gone With The Wind, obviously'.
Apologies to start off on a low note, but there's no hiding 'Mania I's shortcomings. It's one of the worst supercards ever.