The opening match of the inaugural WrestleMania saw Tito Santana compete in singles competition. A former Intercontinental Champion, Santana was a phenomenal wrestler whose in-ring charisma had made him one of the most popular performers in Vince McMahon's promotion. It was McMahon trusted the Superstar enough to make him the first major star fans saw when they attended arenas across the country to watch the mega event on closed circuit television. Naturally, his opponent would be a high profile heel, one that could get a ton of heat by beating on Santana and getting the New York crowd properly prepped for the remainder of the show, right? Wrong. On March 31, 1985, Santana would wrestle the first match in WrestleMania history against...The Executioner. Who was The Executioner? Why is was Buddy Rose under a generic black mask. The match was a glorified enhancement bout aimed solely at putting Santana over. Yes, in what was dubbed as the biggest show of all-time, McMahon booked at least one squash match. The contest remains a trivial one for those testing their wrestling knowledge but in terms of significance, it mattered not. Santana ultimately went on to regain the IC title from Valentine while The Executioner disappeared. As for Buddy Rose, he would pop up on WWE television years later, much heavier and shilling the Blow Away diet, a solid entry into the WWE Hall of Shame.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
