PPV: Andre the Giant won a 20-man WWF/NFL battle royal by last eliminating Bret Hart at 9:03; other participants included: Ted Arcidi, Tony Atlas, B. Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell, Hillbilly Jim, the Iron Sheik, King Tonga, Pedro Morales, Bruno Sammartino, Danny Spivey, Big John Studd; and NFL players Jimbo Covert, Bill Fralic, Russ Francis, Ernie Holmes, Harvey Martin, and William "Refrigerator" Perry. Why it's ranked number one: The first Battle Royal in WrestleMania history was contested during a time when Battle Royals were still seen as a legitimate competition in the eyes of the fans, with 20 random men throwing kicks and punches to prove who was the biggest and strongest. The fact that six of the NFL's toughest pro football players joined the fray- in the hopes of ultimately proving which sports' athletes were the best- kicked everything up several notches. And within the match itself, there were several stories being told: there was a War-of-Words before the show between WWF Hall-of-Famer Big John Studd and Refrigerator Perry (who ultimately eliminated each other after a series of running tackles and hip tosses); there was the "heel turn" by NFL Offensive Guard Bill Fralic, who joined forces with the hated tag team of The Hart Foundation in beating on the 'Fridge; NFL tight end Russ Francis, who was the last NFL player eliminated but seemed to not fully understand the "show" portion of wrestling, as he ducked and rolled to avoid elimination (which is even odder when you take into consideration that his father was an old-school wrestling promoter, and Russ himself would eventually become a full-time wrestler in the waning days of the AWA); and of course the promotion of Andre the Giant as the King of Battle Royals... which he ultimately (and rightfully) proved he was here. Interesting Fact(s): William "Refrigerator" Perry- who was inducted into the "celebrity wing" of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006- was paid $135,000 for this appearance and match; nine years later, NFL Hall of Famer "L.T." Lawrence Taylor was paid roughly the same to headline a WrestleMania. (Mr. Taylor has still not been invited to join Perry in the HoF.) This was also the only WrestleMania appearance for three WWE Hall of Fame wrestlers: Tony Atlas; Pedro Morales and Bruno Sammartino, albeit the latter was in his son, David's, corner at WrestleMania 1. Where do you think the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will ultimately rank with its 12-counterparts? Better than the Battle Royal victory by its namesake? Or worse than Santino Marella in drag? Let me know in the comments!
The 'House is a father of two and husband of one in Minnesota. He is an improv comedian, and in his spare time follows WWE, MLB, The Simpsons, and Bob's Burgers. Growing up he was a huge fan of He-Man, and refuses to believe that it was in fact terrible.
