Not in Vince McMahon Jr's life had a match mattered more, but he got everything he could have dreamed possible out of the notoriously ill-prepared megastar Mr T as he joined forces with Hulk Hogan to take on Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
The loaded clash protected it's 'A-Team' investment too. It wasn't enough to have three of the industry's finest in the match itself - the bout also boasted Jimmy Snuka and Bob Orton Jr as cornermen, as well as Pat Patterson as the man in the middle ensuring the contest clung together.
'The Hulkster' was the cornerstone of the early WrestleManias, and performances like this prove why even today Vince McMahon would risk public scorn just to get a few dollars more out of his walking, talking, flexing ATM. The most famous arena in the world went ballistic for his every move, even as he shared screen time with Ali, Liberace and the other celebrities that had entered his orbit.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
