The road to WrestleMania 31 is in full swing and throughout the years the biggest event on the WWE calendar has provided memories that will last a lifetime, shaped careers and has been a showcase for the greatest matches in the history of the company.
Countdown to WrestleMania 31: 3 Greatest Moments From WrestleMania I
Over the next month, Sports World News will delve into each of the first 30 WrestleMania events and re-live the best moments in each edition of the landmark "Show of Shows."
Following the success of WrestleMania I, Vince McMahon decided to up the ante with the second installment of the historic event, by broadcasting it live from three different cities.
WWE Still Undecided For Daniel Bryan's Opponent At WrestleMania 31
McMahon divided the show, roster and other on-screen personalities in three as WrestleMania 2 began at the Nassau Coliseum in New York for its first four matches then shifted to the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago for its middle portion and closed out at the L.A. Memorial Sports Coliseum in Los Angeles.
A combined 40,085 people sat in the three arenas to watch the innovative event, which was billed as "What the world has come to." This was also the first and only WrestleMania to air on a Monday.
Here are our three best moments from WrestleMania 2:
3) WWE vs. NFL: During the Chicago portion of the event -- which arguably had the two best matches on the whole show -- the company ran an interesting battle royal that pitted some of the stars from the WWE against players in the NFL.
The stars of the squared circle and gridiron greats battled it out in a 20-man battle royal that featured such Superstars as the Hart Foundation, Bruno Sammartino and Big John Studd and NFL players that included William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Ernie Holmes and Bill Fralic.
The bout ended as most battle royals did in those days, with Andre the Giant standing tall after last disposing of tag team partners Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and Bret "Hitman" Hart.
2) Hulkamania Runs Wild in a Cage: In what was to this day the only Steel Cage Match in WrestleMania history, Hulk Hogan defended the WWE Championship against King Kong Bundy in the third and final main event of the evening in Los Angeles.
This was also historic for marking the first time that the WWE Championship was defended at the "Show of Shows" as Hogan was the champion at the inaugural WrestleMania, but was in a tag team match in the main event.
The 11-minute match saw both combatants end up bloodied, but finished with a classic Hulk Hogan comeback followed by the "Hulkster" leaving the cage to retain the belt.
1) A Tag Team Clash for the Ages: The Chicago main event saw the Tag Team Championships change hands for the second straight year at WrestleMania as The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid) defeated The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) in a classic match.
The bout was a very good back-and-forth affair, which allowed the drama to build as the capacity crowd rooted on the Bulldogs.
The Dream Team was managed by Johnny Valiant while the Bulldogs came with extra reinforcements in manager Capt. Lou Albano and rock star Ozzy Osbourne in their corner.
In the end, Smith threw Valentine into Dynamite's head as he stood on the turnbuckle, causing Dynamite to take a sick bump to the floor while Smith got the pin and the win for the titles.
The crowd erupted as the Bulldogs emerged victorious and ended the seven-month reign of The Dream Team.
Looking Ahead: The WWE was on to something big through the first two years of WrestleMania, but as we'll look at next time things were about to change as the biggest main event in history and an outdoor attendance record loomed in 1987 with WrestleMania III.
Rank-O-Mania: As we go through each year, we will rank each WrestleMania as they come along. The second edition had some good moments, but ultimately a lot of filler and failed to capture the magic and now nostalgia of the inaugural event.
1) WrestleMania I
2) WrestleMania 2
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