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WrestleMania 1 in 1985 was perhaps the most important show in the history of professional wrestling. The business was still in the Territory Era, but two "big guys" had emerged with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation in the northeast, and Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA/WCW) in the south. Crockett made the first big move in December 1983 with the supercard Starrcade, which became the annual signature event for NWA and ultimately WCW. To counter Crockett's Starrcade, McMahon decided to up the ante and create his own super wrestling event, but also meld it with the world of entertainment.

It would be known as WrestleMania, and it has been said that McMahon staked his entire reputation and bank account on the event, so it had to be a success or WWE may not still be here today. In order to make it a success, a big main event needed to be at the top of the card to draw in viewers. So began the build to Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against the villains "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.

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The Rock 'N' Wrestling Connection & The Brawl To End It All

The thing that set Vince McMahon and WWE apart from Crockett and the other wrestling promotions of the time was his willingness to integrate the entertainment world into the product, thus catalyzing the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection", a period of cross-promotion between the WWE and music industry. It began after WWE manager Captain Lou Albano appeared in Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" music video in 1983. Shortly thereafter, McMahon booked the duo to appear on the newly created Piper's Pit talk show.

RELATED: Cyndi Lauper Is A Rare Celebrity Who Belongs In The WWE Hall of Fame

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During the segment, Albano was mistreating Lauper, and calling her a "broad," so Lauper retaliated by hitting him with her purse. She would ultimately challenge Albano to a match between two female wrestlers of their choosing. Lauper chose Wendi Richter, and Albano chose WWE Women's Champion, The Fabulous Moolah. The match took place on July 23, 1984, at The Brawl To End It all, and was aired live on MTV. Richter defeated Moolah in the match, and saw Lauper and Albano reconcile their differences. The show received a Nielsen rating of 9.0 -- the largest to that point in MTV history. Lauper's involvement again later in the year would have much more of a direct impact on the WrestleMania 1 main event.

Roddy Piper Attacks Lauper And Challenges Hogan To A Title Match At The War To Settle The Score

On December 28, 1984, Lauper was set to present Albano with an award, but they were both attacked by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who was wholeheartedly against the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Hulk Hogan made the save for Lauper and Albano, which led to a match between Hogan and Piper for Hogan's WWE Championship at The War to Settle the Score on February 18, 1985, just over a month prior to WrestleMania.

RELATED: Hulk Hogan Vs Roddy Piper: 13 Things Fans Forget About Their Feud

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Just like the main event for The Brawl to End it All, the Hogan/Piper main event was broadcast on MTV. The match ended with Hogan winning via disqualification after Cowboy Bob Orton and Paul Orndorff interfered on Piper's behalf. Lauper (who managed Wendi Ricther earlier in the night) and Hogan's friend Mr. T entered the ring after the match, but were subsequently attacked by Piper and friends. During the scuffle, Piper even kicked Lauper in the head, generating nuclear heat in the process. While Hogan was ridiculously over with the crowd as a babyface, Piper was equally hated, and with the celebrity involvement of Mr. T, the main event for WrestleMania had been built successfully.

The WrestleMania Crowd Was Hot And The Good Guys Got The Win

While not being involved in the main event, yet a key catalyst of the build to WrestleMania, Cyndi Lauper was involved in the semi-main event as she managed Richter, who defeated Lelani Kai to win back her WWE Women's Championship that she lost at The War to Settle the Score. She got a huge reaction from the crowd, especially after "beating down" Moolah. The crowd was molten hot for the main event, vociferously booing Piper, Orndorff, and Orton, who accompanied them to the ring; and went bonkers for "Real American" and the entrance of Hogan and Mr. T.

RELATED: Mr. T Vs Roddy Piper: 10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About Their Feud

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The match itself was just okay, but the star power and the moment itself could not be denied. Vince McMahon's gamble paid off, and WrestleMania would become the biggest wrestling event in the world, year-after-year for 39 years and counting. Muhammad Ali served as the special referee outside the ring, but he wasn't too involved in the match aside from being an intimidating force (the crowd loved it though). It was a chaotic affair with plenty of attempted cheating, despite there being two referees. Superfly Jimmy Snuka came to the aid of the babyfaces to counteract Orton's interference.

However, Orton proved to be the difference, accidentally hitting Orndorff with his cast after Hogan moved, and he got the 1-2-3 for the win. The finish was a bit anticlimactic, and probably would've been better had Ali clocked Orndorff instead of Orton, but the fans still loved it, and it was a smashing success. It also helped build to the semi-main event of WrestleMania 2, a boxing match between Piper and Mr. T.