10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 2 Facts
8. Roddy Piper Had His Hands Taped While Making Fists
One year after WrestleMania 1, Piper still had little time for Mr. T and his non-wrestler status. Mr. T nearly walked out before the original event in 1985, fearing that Piper and Paul Orndorff might shoot on him. There was reason to believe that Piper, a legit amateur boxer in his youth, might uncork some stiff shots at the television icon in their boxing match, and embarrass him before the world.
Ordinarily, a boxer's hand is taped while open. In Piper's case, WWE officials had him make fists, then wrapped them with athletic tape. The apparent idea was that once Piper slid his hands into the gloves, he couldn't reach the end of the glove with his closed hands, and his punches would be less damaging, cushioned by the empty front-end of the mitts.
The situation actually caused Piper to struggle a bit when slamming Mr. T to end the fight, feeling awkward in clinching his opponent thanks to his balled-up hands.