10 Biggest "What If?" Scenarios In WrestleMania History
9. What If Mr. T No-Showed WrestleMania I?
WrestleMania was instrumental in WWE’s crossover into the mainstream, and the first event wasn’t just designed to be a great wrestling show, but to expand the company’s broader appeal. Vince McMahon recruited the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Muhammad Ali to accomplish this, and in combining these celebrities with wrestling’s biggest stars, he produced an event on-par with the Super Bowl in terms of spectacle.
Mr. T was a huge part of this equation. The night was built around his main event tag team match with Hulk Hogan against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, and the novelty of seeing The A-Team star in the ring was part of the show’s appeal. It almost didn’t happen, however: T was reportedly concerned about the damage the match might to do his “tough guy” image, and got cold feet just hours before the event.
In Hogan’s own words, Mr. T had “started getting really sketchy. He was really getting kind of nervous.” Fortunately, however, The Hulkster was able to talk him round. T performed as advertised, WrestleMania’s main event survived, and he and Hogan were victorious.
At worst, his no-show would've buried the whole event. At best, it would’ve dealt WWE a major PR blow, frustrated the fans, and made Vince McMahon think twice about booking celebrities in the future.