Ranking All 16 WWE WrestleMania Celebrity Matches

As a wrestling match, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan taking on “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff was not the best in-ring contest. The action was pedestrian, with Mr. T doing a serviceable job keeping up with the three wrestlers.

But in terms of historical significance, this tag team match’s impact can’t be understated. WWE gambled it all on the first WrestleMania, sold in large part on Mr. T’s celebrity – he was one of the biggest stars of the mid-80s – and the spectacle of the event. The mainstream attention the event garnered helped push WWE into the stratosphere and turning WrestleMania into an annual show that continues to grow in prominence today.

And it really all started here, with Mr. T teaming with Hogan.

As a postscript, look at the aftermath of this match. Hogan went on to become an even bigger star. Orndorff turned face, which eventually set up his heel turn against Hogan and a run of sellout shows. Piper and Mr. T would reignite their feud later for the aforementioned WrestleMania II boxing match.

That’s why you have to give the top spot to this celebrity match, and it will be difficult to see how something knocks it off its pedestal.