50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
14. WWF Title Matches Only Headlined 4 Of The First 13 PPVs
The WWF held 13 pay-per-views in the 1980s if you include No Holds Barred.
They first hit pay-per-view with WrestleMania I, then quickly followed that up with The Wrestling Classic in late-1985. 1986 only had ‘Mania 2, and 1987 had ‘Mania III and the first Survivor Series. SummerSlam was added in 1988, then No Holds Barred came into view right before the 90s dawned. Not many of that initial clutch of PPVs had WWF Title matches in the headline slot.
Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in the cage at ‘Mania 2, Hogan vs. Andre at ‘Mania III, Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase at ‘Mania IV and Savage vs. Hulk at ‘Mania V were the only WWF Title headliners from the fed’s first 13 supershows. That's a score of just 4 out of 13, which is remarkable when one pauses to consider how monumentally important Hulk was as WWF Heavyweight Champion.
Further adding to the shock factor, neither of the first two company pay-per-views gave the WWF Title top billing. A tag bout pitting Hulk and Mr. T vs. Piper and Orndorff stole the show at 'Mania I, then a tournament final between Randy Savage and The Junkyard Dog main evented The Wrestling Classic.
You could also argue that Hulk vs. Bundy was the third of three main events at 'Mania II as well, which would make the stats even more ridiculous. Incredibly, WWF Title bouts only headlined one PPV at best per year throughout the 80s. The 90s changed that by running back to back title matches last at 'Mania VI and SummerSlam '90.