Before Summerslam. Before The Royal Rumble. Before monthly In Your House PPVs, there was nothing. Sure, the NWA had regional close captioned TV events, but it wasn’t until Vince McMahon broadcast Wrestlemania from Madison Square Garden into arenas across the nation that wrestling exploded.

No one, not even McMahon himself could have predicted the run away success that Wrestlemania ended up becoming. As the 17th Wrestlemania approaches, it’s difficult to choose one moment from the first event, as the angles and matches didn’t have a timeless nature that future Wrestlemanias provided.

However, just the fact that Wrestlemania I existed, and paved the way for wrestling to become what it is today. Wrestlemania I was the trailblazer, and has left an indelible mark on wrestling and entertainment history.

Craig Letawsky on Wrestlemania I:
Muhamed Ali takes a swing at Piper and Jimmy Snuka prepares to leap down onto the bad guys from the top turnbuckle during the melee in main event. I remember telling my classmates about this particular moment from WM I. I was just about 14 years old and my friend had a satellite dish. Of course being fourteen you get easily distracted so by the time we got in from outside the show was near over and we only saw from the start of the Mr.T/Hogan - Orndorff/Piper match. Good thing it was replayed later but that match will always stand out in my mind.