100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments
73. Hulk Hogan & Mr. T Win Out (WrestleMania I)
Time hasn't been kind to the inaugural WrestleMania as a sit down watch from beginning to end. Many of the matches on the card failed to properly get going, and the presentation links from a frankly puzzled looking Lord Alfred Hayes must be seen to be believed. That's OK, because all anyone really talks about today is the MSG setting and the tag-team headliner pitting Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. It was chaotic in a good way, but it'd be generous to place this anywhere near the top 50 despite historical value.
Piper wasn't sold on working with T, and that's obvious looking back. Although they'd do further business together in the WWF, it's clear that 'Hot Rod' thought the actor needed to go back to...acting as soon as humanly possible. Mr. T was Hulk's buddy, so he'd stick around as long as Hogan demanded it. There's also no doubting that Hulk and T winning the first ever main event was a banner moment showing everything that was right about Vince McMahon's marriage of wrestling and mainstream entertainment.
Smartly (and ever the pro), Piper made sure to get out of the way before the decision so he'd live to fight Hulkamania another day. All of the pageantry, aided by celebs like Muhammad Ali, Liberace and Billy Martin, definitely added to the spiciness of the atmosphere inside the Garden. Hogan was nearing his apex as a star attraction, and Roddy was on fire as one of the best heels in the biz.
This had to be included somewhere or the collection would feel incomplete.